Cameron's Redemption
by Raivon
Summary: John struggles with the aftermath of Cameron's rampage. John/Cameron. Part 1/3.
1. Confrontation

CHAPTER ONE: Confrontation

John Connor stared at the photo with an expression of deep longing. The photo was of Charley Dixon and his wife, they looked happy, content. John put the photo back on the sideboard and turned his attention to the living room, which was littered with similar happy memories of the past eight years. He wished things were different, he wished him and mom had never abandoned Charley in the past, he wished mom had made him understand then they could've remained a family. _If only Cameron hadn't…._

_No,_ he told himself. _Cameron isn't to blame, she saved my life. It wasn't her idea to jump forward eight years to fight Skynet, she only wanted to protect me from Cromartie._

John snapped out of his reverie, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. He knew what needed to be done and he would need his wits about him if he was to succeed. _Succeed? What are my chances of succeeding? _

"2.8 probability of mission success", that's what Cameron would tell him. _2.8. That leaves a 7.2 chance of having my neck snapped_, John thought.

Despite himself, John continued to examine the many photographs on the stack of shelves. John was alone in the house, just him and the memories. Charley was nowhere to be found, _Good_, thought John. _It would be hard enough trying to explain why I needed him to take his wife and leave, why he couldn't be around for this._ John took a deep breath as the full weight of his task pressed down on him. It needed to be done, he knew this. Only he could bring her back. Only he could reach her. Only he could save her.

A soft creak on the floorboards caused John to freeze. She was here, she'd found him, just as predicted. Though he was glad that his prediction was correct, he could not help but be disappointed that she was subject to predictability, it made her less human. It made her a machine, and that darkened his chances of succeeding. John turned around to see her standing there, still as a statue. Her face was blank with no trace of emotion. Those beautiful brown eyes that once held warmth were now cold and empty.

"I knew you'd come here. Knew you'd use Charley to get to me, to draw me out. But he's not here, it's just me, I saved you the trouble."

Cameron took a step forward, John backed away. He needed space, room to manoeuvre. Unfortunately, manoeuvrability was in short supply in this house. He knew what was coming; he knew it wouldn't be easy…

With one swift movement Cameron grabbed John and sent him crashing through the dining room wall.

…he knew it would be painful. Every bone in his body burned with it, but it would not stop him, it could not stop him. John staggered to his feet, covered head to foot in brick-dust. He spat out a mouthful of blood before reaching into his jacket and taking out a baton. With a slight flick of the wrist the baton extended to 15 inches, causing Cameron to pause for a moment as she analysed the weapon's threat level; _Minimal_.

"Please, I don't wanna hurt you."

Even as he said this John knew it would not stop her. Cameron came at him like a speeding truck, aiming a punch for his face, which John dodged, much to his surprise. The second punch he deflected with the baton, which bent slightly upon impact. _This won't last very long_, he thought. John backed up into the living room, he needed space and there was none to be had in the confined dining room.

"Cameron, please. Remember who you are, who I am… What is your mission?"

As if to answer his question; Cameron threw two more earth-shattering punches, both of which John deflected with his baton which was now bent at the middle. _One more hit and it'll snap_, John thought. Before he could worry about that prospect however, John suddenly realised he couldn't breath, that his stomach felt like it was on fire, and his body was flying across the room. Cameron had surprised him with a kick to the mid-section that sent him smashing into the stack of shelves, destroying several photo albums.

John's vision was blurring, his ears were ringing, and he couldn't summon the energy to stand up. Cameron helped him with the latter by grabbing John by the throat and pinning him against the wall. Her grip was unlike anything he had felt before. John was convinced that his entire head would explode with the pain and pressure. He was dead, he'd failed her, and he'd failed the world. _No, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. _John reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tazer which he then jabbed into Cameron's wrist, causing her to let go in shock. John stumbled to the other side of the room as Cameron twitched all over.

Once she'd recovered, Cameron looked back at John with an expression akin to rage and crushed the tazer in her hand. _Rage, emotion, she can feel. That explosion hadn't just messed with her chip; it'd jacked up her emotional range too_, John thought. Cameron limped towards him, determined to follow her base instinct to eliminate all threats to her existence.

"I… won't… give up… on you."

John's voice was ragged and hoarse, he couldn't last much longer, he could barely stand up straight. Cameron stopped within an inch of him and, with a roar of what John could only identify as hatred, punched him in the face with the full force of a sledge hammer. His entire body went completely numb, he couldn't even feel his left arm dislocating as he smacked into the hard-wood floor ten feet away. Yet he was still conscious as Cameron grabbed the front of his jacket and lifted him off the ground, holding him level with her eyes. She drew her arm back, ready to put her fist through his face. John somehow managed to find his voice in this moment.

"We... were... friends... Cameron... please... Cam!"

--

_Cam! _Definition: shortened appellation of the name Cameron. Commonly used amongst friends.

Accessing memory………

Memory File 14823#5GB……Accessing……

Date: February 6th 2007, Thursday 4.42 PM.

"How do you define love?"

Cameron and John are sitting at the kitchen table in the Connor residence, finishing their Sociology homework. John looks up from his question paper and frowns slightly at Cameron.

"What?"

"I do not understand this query: How do you define love?"

John looks slightly uncomfortable.

"Uh, that depends. What kind of love does it refer to?"

Cameron scans the question paper, finding nothing specific.

"It doesn't say, it must mean in general."

John shifts uncomfortably in his seat and clears his throat. Cameron can sense that he is nervous.

"Oh, okay. Umm, well; love is... knowing that someone is very special to you and that you'll do anything to see them happy or keep them safe... I think."

_Not a clear answer. John doesn't seem to be operating at 100 mental capacity. His cheeks are flushed and his pulse has increased. He is very nervous, _Cameron thought. She decides to clarify his response.

"So love is defined by your devotion to a single person."

"I guess you could say that… yeah."

Cameron smiles slightly; John seems relieved at not having to go into detail about this particular subject.

"Thank you for explaining."

John almost says "you're welcome", but instead returns to his homework. Cameron writes John's definition on her paper then pauses before looking at him again.

"John?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

John looks up, surprised, and then smiles. _His pulse has doubled, but his cheeks have not flushed, all evidence points towards excitement… or happiness… or both... Current emotion does not match anything in my records._

"I love you too, Cam."

End of Memory File 14823#5GB

--

Cameron had phased out for at least 3 minutes, leaving John hanging there waiting for the inevitable. John began contemplating whether to try to loosen her grip on his jacket, but before he could act Cameron suddenly snapped back to the present. Her eyes darted left, right, up, down, all over the place. Whatever was going on inside her chip, it was causing her quite a lot of distress.

(_Primary Target: John Connor……….Terminate……….Invalid Command……….Terminate……….Invalid Command……….Primary Mission: Protect John Connor……….Terminate……….Invalid Command……….Programming Clash……….Seeking Alternative Protocol……….Terminate……….Abort……….Alternate Protocol Not Found……….Warning: System Crash Imminent……….Emergency Program Alpha/Omega Activated……….Evaluating Existing Commands……….Mission Objective: None……….Primary Target: None……….Directives: None……….Emergency Audio File 73632#JC Activated: "Hang in there, baby."_)

"John?"

Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, but John heard it clear as day. Her face was awash in confusion, but it was the same confusion he had seen many times before… the confusion of a naïve killing machine he'd come to adore.

"Cameron?"

Her iron grip loosened and John's feet touched the floor, though he knew he wouldn't be able to stay upright for long. Cameron and John stared at each other for a few moments; suddenly Cameron burst into tears and slumped forward into John's shoulder. Her weight proved too much for him to handle, his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees, Cameron still in his arms.

"Please... please forgive me... I'm so sorry John... please forgive me..."

_She's back, Cameron's back._ John had never felt so much relief in all his life. Judgment Day could rain down upon him and he would not care, not at this moment, not when his beloved friend had returned to him.

"It's okay, everything's gonna be fine. I'm here."

As Cameron poured her metaphorical heart out on John's shoulder, two people armed with a shotgun and a 9mm emerged from the shadows, weapons pointed at the Terminator. It took a moment for Sarah to register what she was seeing; her son was cradling a hysterical machine. Derek was equally shocked, so much that he subconsciously let his pistol drop to the floor, the noise of which alerted John to their presence while Cameron continued to sob on his shoulder.

"It's okay, she's herself again. She's Cameron."

Sarah lowered her shotgun and watched as John placed a tender kiss on Cameron's brow.


	2. Contemplation

CHAPTER TWO: Contemplation

The ride home was uncomfortably silent. Sarah was driving; John was in the front passenger seat and Derek in back with the shotgun in case Cameron decided to slip back into "crazy mode". But she hadn't said a word since John had got her to stop crying, she silently allowed him to guide her into the back seat and said nothing when Sarah stopped John from joining her there.

Though she was sure that Cameron had indeed returned to her former self, Sarah was not without caution. It had been only nineteen hours since Cameron had overturned their car and dragged her out of the driver's seat before pressing her heel down upon Sarah's stomach wound. Sarah was no stranger to pain; she'd been shot multiple times, stabbed, bludgeoned, she even had a piece of Terminator shrapnel lodged in her thigh once. But having your body slowly crushed by a girl/machine that you once considered to be the closest thing to a daughter you ever had, was something different altogether.

"We should remove her chip."

Derek's sudden declaration broke the heavy silence like a gun shot, causing Sarah to jump out her skin and almost crash into the car on her left, earning her an angry honk from the driver. John looked back at Derek with a slightly confused expression.

"What?"

"We should remove her chip, before she goes loco on us."

Sarah could see the anger and frustration building behind John's eyes and recognised the tell-tale signs that he was preparing himself for a fight.

"She'll be fine, her systems have returned to normal. She just needs time."

"Time? She's a machine, John. She doesn't need time for anything. She can just file away the past few days and carry on as if nothing happened. And who's to say that she's back to normal, I mean look at her."

Sarah glanced at the rear-view mirror to see Cameron sitting there with a sullen look on her face; she seemed thoroughly distant and showed no awareness of her surroundings. Sarah could sense John was hurt by the unavoidable truth behind Derek's words, yet he remained determined to dismiss his uncle's suspicions.

"She's in pain. Just leave her alone, okay."

Derek opened his mouth to retort but was cut short by John.

"Okay?"

John's face was set like stone, Sarah no longer recognized him as her 16 year-old son, but as the future leader of mankind. Cameron's homicidal rampage had a deep effect on John. After narrowly escaping death at her hands, John decided that enough was enough, and after having a hair cut, he set out to "save" the machine.

"Whatever."

Once Derek had backed down John returned his attention to the road, though Sarah knew he was thinking about Cameron and how to help her. 'I need her', Sarah was still a little disconcerted by his admission, though at the time she believed he was referring to the protection Cameron represented. After seeing him hold the machine and kiss her, however, Sarah was less sure about the true reason why he'd risked everything to bring Cameron back.

Sarah was so lost to her thoughts that she didn't notice that they had arrived at the house already. Surprised that she hadn't crashed while day dreaming, Sarah pulled into the drive way and switched off the engine. John was the first to get out; he immediately went to the other side of the car and opened the door for Cameron, who had trouble getting out because of her busted leg. Like before, she allowed John to guide her indoors without a word. Derek got out and leaned on the bonnet once John was out of ear-shot.

"So, what do you think? Shall we make her pancakes, buy her new clothes, maybe get her a t-shirt that says 'World's Best Daughter' or something. Isn't that what forgiving mothers do?"

Sarah was not in the mood for Derek's quips; her feelings about Cameron were conflicted enough without him adding to them.

"I haven't forgiven her…Argh!"

At that moment her stomach injury decided to twinge, an appropriate reminder of Cameron's actions.

"But I believe that she can be saved. We need her."

Derek was incredulous.

"You believe she can be saved! She tortured you. Beat the crap out of John. God knows what she'd have done if John hadn't fixed her."

"Exactly, John fixed her. And no, I don't believe that she'll ever be trustworthy again. But I believe in John, and that's all that matters. That's all that ever matters."

Sarah slowly limped indoors and found John in the kitchen with the first aid kit. He retrieved a few bandages and headed for Cameron's room. Sarah followed him, Cameron was sat on the edge of her bed, she wasn't moving, just staring into space. _Derek was right_, thought Sarah. _She isn't fine. She's broken._

John began applying plasters to Cameron's injuries with a tenderness that Sarah had not seen in her son before now.

"She's got quite a few burns and scratches, not to mention this cut on her cheek. She'll need stitches for that."

John's eyes softened as he examined the extent of the damage and didn't even flinch when his fingers brushed her endoskeleton. He was perfectly comfortable with the fact that she was a machine underneath. This made Sarah nervous, she knew John had a tendency to grow attached to people, but growing attached to machines was something else. Sarah remembered how upset he was when the T-800 destroyed itself, how he had cried and begged it to stay, telling it everything would be okay. How much harder would it be for him when the time came for Cameron to make that same sacrifice, would he cry, beg her not to do it? Would he kiss her? Confess his love… _No_, she thought. _John knows it can never happen. She's a machine; no matter how she acts on the outside she'll never be human. John knows this._

"Maybe we could get Charley to take a look at her."

"What? John. No. We can't involve Charley in this; we'll just have to…"

"Take her to the local A tell them she fell down a flight of stairs?"

"John."

"Charley can help us. He'll want to help us. You got any other suggestions I'll be glad to hear 'em."

"Fine, I'll call Charley."

_Stubborn as ever_, thought Sarah. _When will he ever listen?_

He was right, though, as Charley arrived not five minutes after Sarah called, medical kit at the ready. He looked shaken, as if he'd seen something horrible on the way there.

"Hey, I hear you need a little help."

Sarah couldn't help but smile, Charley always had a way of lightening the most depressive of moods.

"Yeah, in spades, c'mon in. The patient is right through here."

Sarah led Charley into Cameron's room. She paused for a second as she realised that Cameron was wearing just her underwear and couldn't help but wonder whether or not it was John who removed her charred clothes. Thankfully, John had the good grace to be somewhat embarrassed, which indicated to Sarah that Cameron had done the stripping herself.

"Hey, Charley, thanks for coming. Oh, and sorry about your house."

"My house? What about my house?"

John looked flustered; he had expected Charley to have returned home since they left. _Obviously, he hadn't_, thought Sarah. John nervously scratched his head as he tried to explain to Charley about the hole in the living room wall.

"…'cos you see, I knew she'd come for you so I waited there for her…. I'll pay for the damage."

Charley just laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Forget about. We've been thinking about knocking down that wall anyway, you just saved me the trouble. But it sounds like you're in need of treatment as well; you got quite a few bruises going on there."

Charley pointed at the purple and black bruise on the side of John's cheek, which Sarah could only imagine came from Cameron's fist.

"No later. She needs your help more than anyone."

Charley turned his attention to the semi-naked Cameron and began examining her injuries. _To his credit_, thought Sarah, _he isn't letting his eyes wander_. Like a true professional, Charley got to work applying stitches to Cameron's cheek. He then moved on to her other injuries, covering some with plasters, applying stitches to others. All the while, Cameron remained motionless. By the time he finished, Cameron had seven plasters, three bandages and 137 stitches. _She looks like a raggy doll_, thought Sarah.

"There that should do it. How d'you feel?"

No response. Charley waved his hand across her eyes, but still she didn't react.

"Is she alright? I mean, she isn't broken inside, is she?"

"No, she's just… I guess you could say she's traumatized. The past couple of days have been pretty rough, for all of us."

Charley looked at John then Sarah, taking note of their respective injuries.

"So I see. C'mon, let's take a look at you both."

Cameron suddenly stood up, surprising all three of them. Sarah instinctively put her hand on the grip of the 9mm tucked in her belt, but Cameron simply strode past her and locked herself in the bathroom. A few seconds later the shower could be heard. Charley just shrugged.

"Well, at least she's still hygienic. It can't be all that bad."

Charley's examination of John revealed that he had several cuts and bruises, as well as a bruised rib from when Cameron had thrown him about. He also had the unpleasant experience of having his left arm popped back into its socket. John cried out in pain as Charley pulled his arm as hard as he could. Having heard the commotion Cameron peered into the kitchen, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown. She looked to John like any normal teenage girl after a shower, her hair was wet, her skin clean, even her wounds looked less striking. Cameron stared at John, Sarah, Derek, and Charley for a few seconds before returning to her room.

As Charley saw to Sarah's stomach wound, John ventured into Cameron's room, rubbing his aching shoulder. He found her sitting on the edge of her bed once more, fully clothed this time. John sat down beside her and let out a sigh.

"How long until you start talking to me again, hm?"

No reply. He guessed what was on her mind, what was eating away at her.

"Look, I know you must be feeling awful for what you've done, for what you almost did. But you should know that I don't blame you. None of this is your fault; it's all because of Skynet and that bastard Sarkissian."

"Destroy me."

Her voice was barely a whisper, like before when she spoke his name in Charley's house.

"What?"

"Destroy me. Take me into the garage and burn me away."

She was speaking, but now he wished she wasn't.

"No. Not ever. Do you hear me? We'll get through this, together, you and me."

She smiled ever so slightly. Cameron had never truly understood friendship until now. John was her friend and he'd never abandon her, never give up. She was sent back in time to protect him, but now she was the one who needed protecting.

"Cameron?"

She looked up, meeting his eyes with hers and smiled.

"I like your new hair cut."

John laughed and placed his arm around her, wincing slightly as his left shoulder made a clicking sound.

"Thanks."


	3. Complication

CHAPTER THREE: Complication

Three hours. 180 minutes. 10800 seconds. That's how much time Cameron requires to recharge her unstable power cell. That's how long she must remain in stand-by each day. Three hours and the cramp in John's leg was steadily getting worse, though he didn't dare move in case he woke her. John lay on Cameron's bed, still wearing yesterday's clothes. They had stayed up pretty much all night talking, or at least, John was talking, Cameron still remained monosyllabic. _Well_, he thought, _at least she's not crying._ Cameron stirred slightly; she was beginning to wake up. Her head was resting peacefully on John's chest, her arm draped over his mid-section, she'd become rather clingy in the past few days, almost as if she were afraid that John's absence, if even for a moment, would cause her to start killing people.

John's hand, which had been resting on her hip, now moved upward to her face and gently caressed her silky hair. He couldn't help but wonder how, with everything that's been going on, she was able to make time to keep herself perfectly clean, he couldn't recall the last time she had a shower. As he gently stroked her strands, John's finger brushed against her right cheek and was surprised to find that her scar had completely disappeared, for which he was glad. John was afraid that Cameron would be unable to go to school today as she still looked a little worse for wear, though he'd been able to fix her leg and most of her concealable scars were already fading. The one on her cheek had given him pause, but now she looked no different than the day they first met.

Cameron slowly shifted her head to look at John's face, he looked tired. _Calculating… Estimated 38 of daily rest acquired. He watched over me all night._ Cameron felt relieved and a strong feeling of content coursed through her, she was afraid that he might return to his room in the middle of the night. She wasn't ready to be left alone, it made her feel… vulnerable.

"Morning sleepy-head. You all charged up now? You're going back to school today."

Cameron was less enthusiastic about this, she wasn't sure she was ready to start socialising just yet, but John needed protecting. Though it was no longer a mission requirement, she did it anyway, she couldn't explain why. Cameron slowly lifted herself up and noticed a small damp patch on his t-shirt where her head had been resting, a brief analysis identified the fluid as her own synthetic saliva.

"I drooled on you. I'm sorry."

John gave the patch a quick glance and then shrugged.

"It's cool. Heh, you should see _my_ pillow in the mornings. You'd think the water bed broke or something."

John shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of what he'd just said. _Strange_, thought Cameron, _John's bladder does not seem to be impair-… Oh, he means drool_. Cameron suddenly laughed aloud as she realised that she had come to the very conclusion that John obviously hoped she wouldn't.

"That's not what I – I mean I don't – you know…"

"Wet the bed? Soil the sheets? Water the…?"

"Stop already. God… your still doing that dictionary thing aren't you? I hoped that would've been shot to hell by the explosion."

Cameron's smile was replaced with a look of hurt as all the memories of the past week came rushing back. She got out of bed and went to her wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

"You shouldn't be here. Your mom will freak if knows you spent the night. You should go."

Her voice had returned to that steely mechanical tone that sent chills down John's spine. She was hurt, he'd upset her, more than he knew.

"Cameron, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"John, time to get out of bed, I'm making pancakes. You want syrup? John? Where are you?"

Sarah's voice echoed down the hall as she came closer to Cameron's room. John considered hiding under the bed and then sneaking back into his room once she'd left, but all plans were cast aside when Cameron suddenly spoke in a loud voice.

"He's in here."

Sarah practically burst into the room, the look of worry on her face suddenly turned to suspicion as she realised that John was wearing yesterday's clothes. _He'd spent the night in her room?_

"What is going on here?"

"Mom, I…"

"We slept together. I drooled all over him. Oh, and John wets the bed like a broken shower hose."

Cameron's matter-of-fact tone turned what should have been an unbelievable statement into an all too believable admission. John was incredulous; she'd done this to him on purpose, revenge for his earlier comment. _Crap, I'm going to have a hard time talking my way out of this one. Okay, here goes..._

John's confrontational skills had improved significantly this past week, but Sarah had a lifetime of experience, and as Cameron casually changed her clothes she knew he was losing the battle. Cameron strode past the quarrelling duo and went into the kitchen to find Derek sat at the table eating breakfast. He looked up at her and jabbed his spoon in the direction of her bedroom.

"I guess you're still a home wrecker, huh? Maybe we ought to remove your chip, poke around a little, get rid of those pesky quirks."

_Derek Reese: Ally, and Enemy, depending on the time of day. Appropriate Response: terminate? No, too messy. Humiliate? Yes, that would do nicely._ Cameron took a few steps towards the table; Derek leaned back in his chair ready for whatever she might do. Cameron stared at him for a moment before smiling and turning towards the sink, but as she turned Cameron gave the table a quick shove with her hip, spilling Derek's cereal all down his front. He got to his feet, cursing and trying to brush the milk off of his shirt. Cameron casually handed him a towel as Sarah and John came into the kitchen, both exhausted from shouting.

"What's going on in here?"

"Derek spilt his cereal; I think he might be deficient. It would explain why he never seems to shave."

Derek stood there, fuming, as Cameron took an apple from the cupboard and went into the living room. Sarah just shook her head and told John to change his clothes, before preparing his lunch.

The walk to school was uncomfortably silent, Cameron hadn't said a word since they left the house and John was still annoyed at her for bringing his mother's fury down on him like a ton of bricks. _Not that I didn't deserve it_, he reminded himself. School was the same as it had always been; loud, crowded, dangerous, though only Cameron would consider the last one. The day dragged on like any other, Cameron and John refused to speak to each other, even as they sat together in the outdoor lunch area where they were joined by Morris.

"Whoa, if that storm cloud gets any uglier you guys are gonna need umbrellas. What gives?"

"It's nothing. Just one of those days, ya know?"

John chanced a look at Cameron, who was embroiled in a science book, despite the fact that she'd already memorised it. Morris gave her a light tap on the shoulder, causing her to look up at him.

"So errr, Cameron. You picked out a dress yet? You know, for the Prom?"

Cameron considered her response carefully. She remembered accepting Morris' invitation to this social event, upon John's insistence no less, but was unsure as to whether or not she actually wanted to go. Not that she disliked Morris, he was just an outsider. Cameron glanced at John; he was unsettled, _or is that jealousy_, she couldn't quite tell. She decided to find out.

"Yes, it's tight. You'll love it. Isn't that right, _John?_"

John glared at her, he knew what she was trying to do… and she was succeeding. He would like nothing more than to go to the Prom hand-in-hand with Cameron, to be able to look at her in that dress and dance with her under the glitter ball. Perhaps she knew this, perhaps not, but he wasn't going to let her get away with hurting him like this, especially after what he went through to help her.

"Yeah, I'm sure Morris will be lucky to have a girlfriend who'll just as soon snap your neck as give you a kiss. The kind of girl who can go ape-shit at the drop of a hat and knows exactly how to hurt you, because it's what she was born… built to do."

Cameron wasn't expecting that. She had underestimated his feelings for her and now suddenly felt very ashamed of herself. But as she analysed his words Cameron's shame was replaced with grief. _He hates me, John hates me? Analysing Possible Response:…………None Found…………..Warning: System Overload…………………._

Cameron stormed off, her eyes brimming with tears, leaving a stunned Morris and a guilty John in her wake.

"Dude, that was not cool."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I – we've been having a hard couple of days."

"Look, I get it. But she's your sister, you better go after her."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll see you later, okay?"

John gathered his books and headed in the same direction as Cameron, but she was already gone. When she didn't appear in Chem class later that day, John became concerned; she'd never skipped a lesson before. He asked the teacher if he could be dismissed and began systematically searching the school. John even dared to venture into the girl's lavatories, but found no sign of Cameron. The bell sounded and the mass of students began ploughing through the exits. John was getting anxious; _What if something happened to her? What if Cromartie found her?_ He started to panic and raced out to the student pick-up area, desperately scanning the crowds for any sighting of those brown eyes. He was about to give up hope when he bumped into Morris.

"Hey, bro. You still looking for Cameron?"

"Yeah, I can't find her anywhere."

"Well you need new eyes, she's over there."

John turned to look at where Morris was pointing. She was on the other side of the car park, sitting on a bench. John felt his heart expand as relief flooded into him. He ran to her as fast as he could.

"Cameron."

Cameron stood up and turned around to face him. Her eyes were glassy and her face wet with tears. John skidded to a halt in the road, deciding to approach her slowly. He hated himself for making her cry; he swore he would never hurt her like that again. _She isn't just a machine_, he reminded himself, _she's a person, actual and whole. With feelings no different than mine._

"Cameron, I'm sorry. Please, I never….."

A sharp pain suddenly erupted from his right leg, spreading to his upper body as he smashed into the bonnet of the car. He felt his body spin as he flew over the roof, bouncing on the trunk and landing on the hard tarmac. As everything faded into darkness, John heard a single angelic voice cry out in the distance.

"JOHN!"


	4. Consequence

CHAPTER FOUR: Consequence

_Love, if that is what I feel, is a complicated emotion. I would define love as undying devotion. To always protect that which you consider most important. If this is love, why does it cause me so much pain? _Cameron was sat on a bench on the other side of the car park, silently mulling over the complexity of her emotions. Up until the explosion, Cameron's emotional range was severely limited. She couldn't understand humour, couldn't fathom affection, and had no knowledge of rage. That explosion had, as John put it; "Shook something loose", and he was not far from the truth. Her emotional output had lost all boundaries, she could feel everything.

As salty tears began spilling from her eyes, Cameron wondered why she had no control over such a function. While Skynet had originally intended for them to be used as an infiltration technique, Cameron had never figured out how to activate her tear ducts. Yet here they were, working away as if they had a will of their own.

"Cameron?"

_Audio Analysis: 98 match, John Connor. He's found me at last._ Cameron slowly rose from her seat and turned to face John as he ran towards her, skidding to a halt in the middle of the road. He was relieved, overjoyed at having found her safe and well. In this moment, Cameron knew that she could never hate him. No matter how he might hurt her, she knew, deep down he would always care.

"Cameron, I'm sorry. Please, I never….."

As if in slow motion, a car came around the corner and collided with John. His body went limp almost immediately as he rolled over the top of the vehicle and landed in a heap on the hard tarmac. Cameron froze, as true horror took hold, and could only manage one word.

"JOHN!"

The driver slammed on the breaks, poked his head out to see what he'd hit, and, after realising that it was a person, he put his foot down and sped away. Cameron burned his face into her memory before rushing to John's side. With a care and tenderness antithetical to her design, Cameron lifted his head up onto her lap and gently stroked his blood-soaked hair. _Life signs are strong, but erratic. He needs medical attention. Now._ She cradled him in her arms and placed a kiss on his forehead, fresh tears running down her face.

"It's okay, John, it's okay. You're alright. We just have to get you home. We just got to get you home. Everything's going to be alright. Just got to get you home…"

His entire body ached. Arms, legs, upper and lower, especially his head. As silent memories began finding their way back to him, he remembered the car, and the pain. But most of all, he remembered that voice. He forced his eyes to open, though it was no easy task. His vision was blurred; he couldn't tell where he was. Then his other senses kicked in, and he felt the unmistakeable softness of his bed, and knew he was home. His left hand felt warm and he realised that someone was holding it… Cameron. John's vision began to clear and he saw her kneeling by the bed, her hand cradling his. She had her mouth pressed to his fingers, her brown eyes were locked on him and, when she saw he was coming too, a bright beaming smile spread across her face.

"Hey. How do you feel?"

"Sore. Did I get eaten by a bear?"

Cameron smiled affectionately. John was in delirium, a side-effect of the morphine she'd injected him with. She decided to play along, to keep him in good spirits.

"Yeah, it was a big brown one."

"A Grizzly? Did I kick its ass?"

"You gave it hell. It couldn't stomach you so it spat you back out."

"Cool. One last question before I pass out: are you an angel?"

Cameron just smiled and kissed his hand. John grinned lazily and closed his eyes.

"I thought so."

Once John was sound asleep, Cameron collapsed on the side of the bed and let herself go. She was so relieved that he had woken up. By sheer luck, John hadn't broken anything, but he was heavily bruised and suffered a severe concussion. She wept for what felt like an eternity to her, despite possessing an internal chronometer. She cried so hard and long that she didn't notice when Sarah and Derek came home, and had to hastily wipe away the tears before they came in the room.

The scene was like something out a nightmare. Sarah saw her son lying motionless on his bed while the machine sobbed uncontrollably on the floor. He had deep purple bruises all across his right side. He wasn't moving…

"John? JOHN! John, John, John, speak to me, please. Please, John, c'mon. Speak to me. What did you do to him? What did you DO?!"

Cameron was curled up in a corner, so much like a grieving daughter that it simultaneously broke her heart and turned it to stone.

"Stop shaking him, he needs rest, please."

Sarah went over to Cameron and grabbed her by the shoulders as Derek came in, a gun in his hand.

"What did you do? Tell me? Did you do this to him?"

Cameron cried even harder as she forced herself to look Sarah in the eye.

"Yes. It was my fault he was in the road. He didn't see it coming. The driver just hit him and drove off. I carried him back here. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Cameron slumped onto Sarah's shoulder, desperately in need of comforting and for the first time, Sarah relented. She held the machine close and told her it was okay, that she did the right thing by bringing him home. Sarah knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was not some big farce on Cameron's part. No machine, not matter how advanced, could possibly act this way without some semblance of a soul. Sarah's world was turned upside down; she no longer understood how any of it worked.

"His pulse is steady, but he looks like hell. We need to take him to a doctor."

Derek was examining John's bruises, determined not to look at Cameron. As was his custom, Derek still suspected her involvement in John's injuries and was determined to break the mother-daughter bond that he could see starting to form between them. If Sarah began trusting the machine, they would all be dead.

"How fast was he going? The driver. Will John be okay?"

Sarah had let go of Cameron and was now holding John's hand. Cameron knelt down beside her and stared into John's face.

"Approximately 23mph. John is structurally intact… umm, I mean; he hasn't suffered any skeletal damage. But he is heavily bruised and has a severe concussion. I gave him some morphine and he woke up shortly before you arrived."

"What did he say? Did he say anything?"

Cameron gave her a small smile.

"He thinks he was eaten by a bear."

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle; John often asked funny questions like that when he was little, usually whilst he was half-asleep. Derek couldn't help himself; he had to break this up now, before it was too late.

"How do we really know John was hit by a car, what if she did this and is just covering her tracks with smiles and crocodile tears?"

Cameron's expression turned from light humour to seething hate in an instant. She stood up, strode over to Derek and slapped him across the face. Though she had held back her full strength it was still enough to send several of Derek's teeth flying in every direction. He staggered backward and cocked his gun, but Sarah stood between him and Cameron.

"Derek Reese, give me that gun and make yourself and call Charley. NOW!"

He gave Cameron a look of pure contempt before handing Sarah the gun and storming out of the room to make the phone call to Charley. Sarah placed the gun on John's desk and returned to his side, not noticing as Cameron picked up the gun and hid it in her jacket pocket. Cameron left the room and strolled through the kitchen, Derek had just put the phone down.

"Fwhere're you froing?"

Cameron took delight in Derek's slurred speech. _Now he sounds as stupid as he looks._

"I'm going on a mission."

"Thrash", it was called. A popular night-club and one of Hector's favourite hang-outs. Cameron had broken into the school and hacked the principal's computer, which had detailed files on every student. It was not long before she was able to put a name to the face of the boy who almost killed her beloved. Hector Nostrelli, born in Mexico, known for anti-social behaviour. There was a list of his known crimes, most of them minor, but one notation mentioned this location. The club entrance was guarded by a large bouncer, Cameron skipped the queue but was not stopped, the bouncer eyed her suggestively.

"You go ahead, honey. Have a drink on me."

"Thank you."

_Might as well be courteous_, she thought. John was always telling her to be more sociable around others, and she swore to listen to him from now on, for every word he spoke was precious to her. The club was packed with adolescents and couples in their early 20s, the music was horrendously loud and the lighting made it almost impossible to see, except if you're a Terminator that is. Cameron moved amongst the crowd, scanning each and every face for a match. Finally she found him, he was sitting at the bar having a beer. Cameron sat on the stool next to him and ordered a drink for herself. Hector looked over at her and leered.

"Hey, gorgeous. You here to forget a bad day or enjoy a good night?

"The first one. You?"

"Hell, every night is a good night. Tell you what, how 'bout I buy you a couple of drinks and we can talk all about it. Maybe go somewhere private."

The bartender brought Cameron her drink, but she didn't touch it.

"I don't know… what did you say your name was again?"

"Hector Nostrelli, but you can call me Heck."

"Okay then, Heck. My answer is no. You see, I don't fall very easily for guys who run over my brother and then drive off without a care in the world."

Hector looked flushed, but was too drunk to fully register what she'd just said.

"What? What are you… wait. You're that Cameron chick with the metal plate in her head ain't ya? You think I ran over your brother, maybe you just imagined it. Everybody knows that your damaged goods. Heh, I suppose your brother is too now."

_Action: Terminate! _Cameron picked up her drink and threw it in Hector's face; he cried out in pain as the liquor burned his eyes and stumbled backwards off of his stool. Several people turned around to see what was going on, but before any of them could get a good look the DJ activated the smoke machine and the crowd were engulfed. Cameron punched Hector in the face, knocking him off his feet; she then proceeded to kick him across the floor. Hector staggered to his feet, pulling a knife from his pocket. He stabbed at her blindly, but missed and received another kick for his trouble. Cameron then grabbed a hold of his jacket and threw Hector through the nearest wall, sending him crashing into the girl's lavatory. Several teenage girls ran out screaming as Cameron casually stepped through the hole and found Hector crawling across the tiled floor. She picked him up and threw him into a corner where he cowered, shielding his face as Cameron took out the gun and pointed it at his head.

"Please… s-stop… please… I-I'll do anything you want just please… d-don't kill me."

She stared at him for several long seconds as he whimpered beneath her gaze. She wanted to kill him, to splatter his brains across the wall, but found herself questioning her actions. It would be all too easy to just pull the trigger and end his life, but she asked herself; _what would John do?_

She considered her options for a moment before lowering the gun and placing her boot on Hector's throat.

"You will leave this city, tonight. And you will never, ever come back. Do you understand me?"

Hector's reply was little more than a gurgle, but she took it as a "yes" and put the gun away before leaving the night-club and heading back home.

When she opened the front door, Cameron was greeted by Sarah, who stood there with her arms crossed, waiting.

"Well? Are you going to tell me where you've been for the last two and a half hours?"

"I tracked down the boy who ran over John. His name was Hector Nostrelli. I found him in a club called 'Thrash', the music was very loud."

Cameron had adopted her Terminator voice again so that Sarah wouldn't suspect her of lying.

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

"Then why take the gun?"

Cameron pulled the gun from her jacket and handed it to Sarah, who checked the magazine, which was still full.

"I was going to kill him, but I decided not to. I convinced him to leave the city instead."

Sarah nodded slowly, convinced that Cameron was telling the truth.

"How's John?"

"He's fine, he's asleep. Charley had a look at him, said he'd be okay. He has to take some medication though, and he'll need to stay on the morphine for a day or so."

"That's good. What about Derek? How is his jaw?"

Sarah smiled, she was really starting to warm up to Cameron.

"He's seeing a dentist tomorrow. You'd better stay out of his way."

Cameron gave a gloating smile and headed towards John's room, but Sarah called her back.

"Cameron. Just out of curiosity; why didn't you kill the guy, Hector or whatever his name was? Isn't that what you do?"

Cameron considered her response carefully, for not even she could fully understand what made her spare him.

"I didn't see the point. He's going to die in three years anyway, along with everyone else like him."

Cameron couldn't tell if Sarah had understood her meaning when she said "everyone else like him". She had meant people without a conscience, but was afraid that Sarah interpreted it as people in general. Either way, she turned off the kitchen light and went to her bedroom, leaving Cameron in the dark. Cameron then entered John's bedroom, closing the door behind her. He'd been cleaned up since and was wearing just his night shirt and boxers. She carefully climbed into bed and snuggled up next to him, just like last night. She gave him a kiss on his cheek then laid her head on his chest, whispering good-night as she entered standby mode.


	5. Confidence

CHAPTER FIVE: Confidence

"Okay, I give up. What are you?"

"A fish."

"Oh, a fish, right. Well, points for effort. I suppose."

Cameron ceased pursing her lips and sat back a little, slightly put off for not being able to impersonate a fish properly. John could see she was annoyed and tried to cheer her up.

"Well, at least it was better than your tiger impression the other day; I didn't fall out of bed this time."

This didn't seem to be working, though he could have sworn he saw a tiny flicker of a smile. Cameron had, for the past week, started every morning with animal impressions because of a remark John had made about the extent of her infiltration programming. Not that it wasn't funny waking up to various interpretations of the wild, but when she chose to impersonate predators Cameron often over did it. John recalled one morning when he woke up to find himself wrapped up in white wool and had no trouble guessing that she was pretending to be a spider, though he daren't ask what kind. _At least she didn't turn my room into a fish tank_, he thought.

"Hey, who wants to be a fish anyway? All they do is swim around all day."

"I've never swam, I suppose I never will."

_Okay, this is getting depressing._ It had been over a week since his accident with the car and ever since he regained consciousness Cameron had been somewhat withdrawn. It was almost as if she had figured out a way to restrain her emotions, which was odd as she had told him that her emotional programming was in a constant state of chaos, hence her passionate outbursts. John could only shrug at the thought; after all, her sociability had improved considerably.

"Maybe we can make you a buoyancy suit or something."

Cameron gave him a look that said; _Yeah, right. I'll look very tight in a Michelin outfit._

"Or not. Any way, what have you brought me today?"

Cameron lifted a tray onto John's lap; bed and breakfast had become a frequent thing for John nowadays. What he hadn't counted on was Cameron's decision to cook the meals herself. _A hyper-advanced intelligence that can't figure out how to cook properly, happy days._ The problem wasn't that she couldn't cook, she just had a tendency to experiment… in bizarre ways. Today's breakfast was an innocent-looking plate of pancakes, however, so he picked out a slice and put it in his mouth without hesitation, and instantly regretted it.

"Hmm. You er, you tried something new?"

Cameron smiled and nodded, she sat there patiently awaiting his approval while John's throat burned.

"Secret ingredient?"

"Chilli pepper."

_Chilli pepper. No wonder this pancake is about to burn a hole through my throat._ He forced himself to swallow, wishing he hadn't taken such a big piece. Though it went down, John was left with a coughing fit.

"It's… it's good… definitely… definitely has a distinct… taste."

Cameron gave him a few concerned pats on the back, but was otherwise happy that he enjoyed her pancakes. Once his coughing had subsided, John decided to try and distract Cameron so as to avoid eating any more of her crazy cuisine.

"Any way, I was thinking about migrating from my bedroom today. You know, venture out. Stretch my legs. What d'you think?"

Cameron considered for a moment then smiled and nodded. John immediately moved to get out of bed, only to be pushed back by Cameron.

"First you finish your breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all."

"What idiot told you that?"

"You did."

Ten minutes later and John felt like he just swallowed a volcano. At least he got a kiss on the cheek afterward. Cameron helped him out of bed and gave him his "granny stick"; John had some serious bruising on his legs that prevented him from putting too much weight on them. For the first time in a week, John ventured into the kitchen where Sarah was washing the dishes. She looked up and smiled.

"He walks! Does he talk as well?"

"Yeah, Cameron's got me well-schooled. Morning, Mom. Where's Derek?"

"Getting three fillings. Cameron really did a number on his teeth."

"So I heard."

Cameron seemed not to have heard this, though John knew she was only pretending. He decided to get some fresh air and had Cameron escort him outside. It was a bright day and there was a light breeze in the air. They stopped at the swings as John absorbed the freedom of the outside, the grass under his feet.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Exactly. Out here there's nothing but peace, it's almost as if this garden is trapped in a snow globe. Cut off from the rest of the world. Cameron…"

John started to sway; Cameron caught him before he fell over and gently lowered him onto the ground.

"What's…?"

"It's the medication. It keeps the pain down but relaxes your muscles so you get tired quickly. Just rest for a moment."

John closed his eyes and patted the grass, indicating for Cameron to lie next to him. They laid there for several minutes before John suddenly started picking out clouds and comparing them to various things.

"Is it just me or does that cloud look a little bit like Derek?"

Cameron followed his gaze to a cloud that resembled a human head, though she couldn't quite see how John would derive Derek from it.

"A cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals floating in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth. Its shape is irrelevant."

"You really suck at this game, you know. A little effort, please. C'mon, humour me."

"Well, I suppose those little specks could be his teeth flying everywhere."

"See, now you're getting it."

John closed his eyes again and ran his fingers through the grass. It was nice to have a moment of peace, considering what he'd been through these past weeks. Unwittingly, John drifted to sleep and began dreaming of past times.

"Is she still behind us? John? Is she?"

"What, no. She's got a busted leg remember."

"Well that didn't stop her before."

John and Sarah were in a blue car, speeding through a levy, desperately trying to escape the crazed machine. Everything had gone so wrong for John. What should have been a birthday surprise had suddenly become a nightmare. _At least it was a surprise_, he thought. _Cameron sure knows how to make a guy feel special and nothing says 'happy birthday' like trying to kill you_. Sarah took a shortcut through a tunnel, smashing through a couple of bonfire barrels. She couldn't believe what was happening; Cameron had turned on them, chased them across the city, and was no doubt in hot pursuit right now. How did it all go so wrong? _Well that's easy_, she thought. _Sarkissian. This was all his doing. He placed the car bomb. He blew Cameron's senses to hell and back, and that's what she'd brought us; hell. _

"MOM!"

Sarah snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the road ahead, where she could see a small figure standing at the end of the tunnel; Cameron. She stood squarely in the way and was not going to move.

"Hold on John."

"What are you doing?"

Sarah put her foot down and closed the distance between them and Cameron. She expected the machine to just stand there, but she dodged at the last minute. _Huh, I suppose she does have some sense left_. Her musing did not last, however, as the car suddenly rocked violently. Unable to control the wheel, Sarah felt the back end of the car flip upwards and was suddenly upside down, listening to screeching metal. The car eventually stopped sliding and the sound of screaming metal was replaced with a deathly silence.

"John? John, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you?

Sarah looked down at her stomach, which was bleeding profusely.

"Never better."

"You're bleeding."

"I'm fine just…"

The silence was penetrated by a distant whirring noise, the sound of broken pistons and servos, Cameron was approaching.

"Get out now, go, quickly."

"Mom, I'm not leaving you here."

"You have to, now go!"

"No!"

Suddenly the car door was ripped off and a charred hand grabbed Sarah and dragged her out into the open. Cameron threw Sarah against the car before turning her attention towards John, who had just gotten free of his seat. Before she could approach him however, Sarah kicked Cameron from behind, causing her to stop in her tracks. Cameron knocked Sarah to the floor and placed her heel on Sarah's stomach wound, making her cry out in pain.

"JOHN! GO! NOW!"

"No, I can't just…"

"YOU HAVE TO, PLEASE…..ARGHHH!!"

"CAMERON!"

Cameron locked eyes with John and for the briefest of moments he thought he saw the old Cameron flash behind those cold eyes.

_(Primary Target: John Connor………………Terminate……………Error…………………Protect John Connor…………Error……………..Terminate………………)_

She released her hold on Sarah and started limping towards John; he hadn't moved and was clutching his right arm, his face set with pain. Cameron was just a few steps away, and John could see the chaos behind her brown eyes. _She's gone, she's really gone_. John took a step back, keeping himself out of arms reach before turning tail and running, like his mother told him.

John awoke with a shudder, the 'Derek Cloud' was still hovering above him, though a few of his 'teeth' had merged since. His hand was still moving through the grass but stopped when it came into contact with something soft and warm. Cameron's fingers intertwined with his and gave a gentle squeeze. He turned over to look at her eyes; he needed to know she was still there. Their eyes locked together once again, but this time John wasn't repelled, he was entranced. They stared at each other for several minutes until Cameron broke their gaze.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you afraid of?"

John reached over and lifted her chin with his forefinger, directing her eyes back to his.

"Nothing. I'll never be afraid of anything again."

He drew her close, and for the first time; their lips met.


	6. Conspiracy

CHAPTER SIX: Conspiracy

_Cross the yellow wire with the red one………Done………..Connect copper wire and twist…………Done………..Activate Proximity Trigger Response……….Done……………Trap set…………He won't see this coming…._

"What's this for?"

John examined the watch with mild interest.

"Well I figured you might need one, seeing as the world is going to end in a few years. It'll help you keep track of the time you have left."

Derek was not known for his generosity, but he did have his moments. _It is a nice watch_, thought John, _I wonder if he bought or killed for it. Better not ask him that._

"Thanks, I'll a… be sure to savour every minute."

John fastened the watch around his wrist; it was a good fit and didn't chafe. Derek went back to loading the guns and said nothing. John couldn't help but notice a small flicker of regret in his uncle's face. Derek had been increasingly twitchy the last couple of days, as if something was weighing him down. John knew better than to ask what was on his mind, Derek had a tendency to be somewhat unstable when it came to his personal grievances, especially when it concerned Kyle.

John decided to go back to his room and finish catching up with his school work. Upon returning to school the other day, John was burdened with a week's worth of catching up and had little time for anything else. _Thank God I've got a genius friend who's willing to give me a hand._ As was her custom, Cameron crept into John's room without making a single sound, though this time John was aware of her presence and didn't suffer a heart attack. She quietly sat down on his bed and watched as he wrote the conclusion to a 2,000 word essay, waiting for him to ask for help, but he didn't. _John knows the value of education. He doesn't cut corners_, Cameron mused. After several minutes of silence John finally put his pencil down and let out a sigh.

"Finished, finally. See, I can do it alone."

Cameron smiled; she'd only been called upon to deal with the unnecessary assignments that possessed no educational value to John. There'd been far more of those than any thing else he'd needed to do, so Cameron felt very helpful. She reached out and grasped John's hand, which was sore from constant writing, and conducted a brief analysis. _Readings suggest he is mentally exhausted…….His pulse has suddenly increased…….Blood flow has been redirected to-…….Physical contact has been broken……..Unable to complete scan._

John could tell what she was doing so he reluctantly moved his hand away from hers. Cameron looked slightly concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just… I guess I don't like it when you scan me. I know you only do it because you care, but it's a little… invasive. Sort of like reading my thoughts, you know."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade you."

John flushed. _Did she know how provocative she was being? Probably not_. As much as John loved her company, he often found himself struggling with his desires. This was why he didn't want her conducting her scans; he didn't want her to know how badly he was lusting after her. _If she discovered this she'd probably jump me right here and now, and I would be unwilling to resist. _

"Look, just save it for emergencies okay, or if I'm feeling generally unwell. No one likes being strapped to a lie detector."

Cameron smiled slyly and tilted her head.

"We're not strapped together. If we were I wouldn't waste my time with bio marker scans."

John suddenly felt very warm, as if he'd eaten her chilli pepper pancakes again, except this time they were pleasant.

"You know what; hold that thought while I take a cold shower, a very cold shower."

Cameron was about to ask if he wanted some ice when Sarah suddenly came in, a bag in her hands.

"You ready for an assignment?"

John perked up immediately; he hadn't been involved in their Skynet hunt for weeks.

"Sure, what's the objective, and don't tell me it's a pizza run."

Cromartie was not accustomed to conducting interrogations; his sole purpose was assassination after all. Though like any T-888, he could adapt and learn new skills. The art of torture came naturally to him, as it required an intimate knowledge of human pain thresholds and the correct manipulation of pressure points. His current subject was not your typical human however.

_Subject: Jason Corvain_

_Accessing Subject History…………_

_D.O.B: May 5__th__ 2004……Current Age: 23 years 6 months._

_Important Dates: _

_2011: survives Judgment Day (age 7)._

_2022: joins Resistance Military, operation specialty Tech-Com (age 18)._

_2024: saves John Connor from T-800 assassination attempt, upgraded to Lieutenant (age 20)._

_2026: captured by Skynet and enlisted in experimental program "Sheep's Clothing" (age 22)._

_2027: disobeys directives and severs connection with Skynet (age 23)._

_Accessing File 342555#SK: "Sheep's Clothing"………_

"_Sheep's Clothing": one-shot experiment. Subjects were injected with nanobots with the goal of creating a new line of cybernetic infiltrators. Nanobots enhance or replace key organic components with cybernetics. Subject skeletal structure imbued with metallic compounds creating an organic-metallic alloy. All but one subject died during the process. Subject Jason Corvain remains the only survivor._

_Addendum: recent research shows that brain implants are subject to destabilization, thereby severing Skynet control. "Sheep's Clothing" deemed ineffective._

_He is no stranger to pain then; this may be difficult_, thought Cromartie.

Jason was chained to the wall, his cybernetic eyes scanning the triple-8. Cromartie was taking no chances with him; Jason had already proven to be more trouble than he might be worth.

"So, you going to torture me or what?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Yes, but I enjoy playing mind games with machines."

Cromartie picked up a scalpel and began cutting into Jason's chest, who only flinched for a second.

"Sorry, mate. Pain suppression system courtesy of Skynet. My neural implant is wired directly into my nervous system, so no joy."

"So it would seem. But I will discover your purpose here. Connor would not send you back twenty-four years without a good reason."

Jason flexed his muscles, he was testing his strength against the chains, but Cromartie had been thorough.

"You can't escape. Those chains are strong enough to hold a T-600 in place."

"Uh huh. But I'm not a rusty old "rubber skin", and I won't be used to get to John. So quit while you're ahead."

Cromartie was undeterred; he had a mission to complete.

"It is apparent that I will not be able to break you…"

"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring."

"…but you have already served your purpose. Your displacement here made it into the local papers. No doubt the Connors are aware of it and will come to investigate. You have helped me draw them out."

Jason stared at the floor for a moment as he considered this information before looking back at Cromartie and smiling.

"Well done, but in case you've forgotten; John has a protector."

"I already know about the girl."

Jason suddenly froze, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Cameron?"

"Time displacement? You sure?"

"Positive."

Derek was driving John, Sarah, and Cameron to the location of an "electrical disturbance" via an isolated back road.

"How?"

John wasn't aware that his mom had kept such a close eye on the media, but this was only because Cameron had been too busy helping him about the house to pay much attention to the news.

"Witnesses reported an electrical disturbance in an old factory three miles ahead, one of them claimed to see a man appearing in a sphere of blue light. It was in this morning's paper."

John nodded slowly and then cocked his gun, checking the chamber to make sure it was ready.

"Hang on, what about the cops? Won't they be crawling all over it?"

"No. The people up here are known for their story-telling. They just dismissed it as a farce."

John leaned back in his seat and turned to Cameron, she looked at him blankly. Knowing that Sarah would flip if she saw them being too friendly, Cameron often acted inconspicuous around John when his mother was present.

"What do you think Cam? Skynet or Resistance? Terminator or Fighter?"

"It's Impossible to tell. It's always better to be prepared though."

She was eying his gun. John turned it over in his hand. Up until a few weeks ago, John hadn't fired a weapon in years. He was surprised at how natural it felt. Cameron, on the other hand, was still not 100 trust-worthy to hold a weapon in Sarah and Derek's eyes. It was understandable, after all, the last time she held a gun it was pointed at them. _Nothing shatters trust like looking down the barrel of a gun._

"I don't see why John would send someone else back."

Derek was being twitchy again. Everyone had noticed, especially Cameron. _In fact_, thought Sarah, _he looks a bit pale._

"You feeling alright, you look a bit… off."

Derek gave a loud sniff and scratched his forehead.

"I'm fine I just… I don't know, I think I'm coming down with something is all."

Cameron leaned forward and placed her finger on his neck, causing the car to swerve violently as Derek pulled away from her touch.

"Get the hell away from me, metal!"

"You have a fever, I need to diagnose…"

"Touch me again and we'll take a detour to the scrap-yard, you hear me?"

Sarah turned around to look at Cameron.

"Do as he says."

Cameron sat back, a look of hurt on her face. John slid his hand discreetly into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"She's right though, you need to take it easy. Maybe stay in the car while we take care of this."

"I'm fine Sarah, I look worse than I feel. Trust me."

They pulled up outside an abandoned warehouse and got out to investigate the immediate area. It was deathly quiet, and Cameron could not detect any signs of life. John noticed a hatch to his right and motioned for Cameron to help him open it, which she did with minimal effort. All four of them shone their lights into the dark hole, revealing stairs leading to an underground corridor. John placed a foot on the first step but Sarah grabbed his arm.

"John. Wait. We don't know what's down there."

"That is why we need to go in to find out."

Something moved in the corner of Sarah's eyes, she spun around to see the warehouse door swing shut, followed by a scraping noise from within the hatch. Derek cocked his gun and approached the warehouse.

"Derek. Wait."

"Mom, you go with him, I'll find out what's in here."

"I told you, you don't know what's down there."

"I'm not deaf. Besides, Cameron will be with me, I'll be fine."

Cameron gave her a reassuring smile. Sarah struggled for a moment before relenting and following Derek, looking back to see John and Cameron descend into the hatch.

The corridor was wide and cool; John ran his hand along the wall as he drew closer to a heavy door at the end of the corridor. Cameron wrenched it open and stepped through, calling the all clear seconds later. John followed her into a large square room with four columns. _A bomb shelter?_

Suddenly the large door slammed shut behind them. Cameron made towards it but stopped, staring at John.

"What?"

Cameron placed her hands on his chest and began running her fingers across his body. John felt that familiar heat rising in him again.

"Uh, Cameron? I'm not sure this is the time or place."

_Don't stop though_, part of him thought. Cameron did stop however, a look of confusion on her face.

"John?"

"Yep?"

"Your ticking."

"Huh? I'm what?"

John froze, he could hear it too. He frantically felt every pocket on his person but found nothing. Cameron suddenly grabbed his wrist and held it level. John's watch was beeping, an ominous red light flickered, becoming increasingly erratic as the beeping became steadily more frequent. John looked at Cameron hopelessly. She opened her mouth as if to say something helpful, but instead opted for:

"Oh, shi-..."

_To be continued…_


	7. Conflict

CHAPTER SEVEN: Conflict

A cloud of sand and dust shot out of the hatch entrance like a smoker's cough, smoke billowed outward but no flames arose. Sarah got to her feet and looked back at the hatch, feeling her heart clench. _John._

"John. John! JOHN!!"

She rushed over to the hatch and found that the corridor had collapsed and John, wherever he was, was trapped. _It's okay_, she told herself, _he's with the machine, he's with Cameron. She would've shielded him. It's okay._ Derek came over and examined the damage.

"We have to get him out, move the rubble."

"We'll need a…."

But just what they'd need Sarah never found out, for Derek's voice was replaced by gasps and gurgles. Sarah spun around to see Derek being held aloft by a man in a black shirt. She drew her pistol and fired three shots into his face, forcing him to let go of Derek, who proceeded to unload his entire magazine into the man's face. Twelve shots later and the man's face was unrecognisable, what was once flesh was now chrome. What was once an eye was now a glowing red orb. Derek reloaded his gun and aimed for those demonic eyes, Sarah did the same. _Can't kill us if it can't see us_, she reasoned.

--

John's ears were ringing, though for once he wasn't in pain. He opened his eyes to see the concrete floor of the shelter and felt a heavy, yet soft, weight pressing down on him. Cameron carefully lifted herself off of John and helped him to his feet. The explosion had collapsed the tunnel behind them, they were trapped. John looked down at the watch, it had stopped beeping and the red light was now dull. He looked at Cameron questioningly.

"It's a threat detector. It senses proximity traps and laser trip mines. I made it awhile ago and gave it to Derek; he said he'd find a way to give it to you without you knowing what it was. I didn't know he put it inside the watch."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry about being blown up all the time. You've suffered enough stress these past weeks, I didn't want to add the fear of sudden combustion to the list."

John chuckled, only Cameron could try to reassure him, fail, and then make him laugh because of it.

"Was I wrong? Are you mad?"

"No, you were right. I would've spent every minute checking the watch for any sign of danger. It would've driven me crazy."

Three muffled gunshots suddenly came from beyond the rubble.

"Mom!"

Nine more, then silence.

"We have to find a way to shift all of this. We need to get out of here."

John started removing the rocks, desperate to know that his mother was safe. Cameron helped him by moving the heavier ones. They were making steady progress when a voice called out from the darkness.

"It doesn't matter. You won't get to them in time, not without help."

John and Cameron spun around to see a man chained to the wall, where he'd come from was a mystery, for he certainly wasn't there before the explosion. John cautiously approached the man; he looked like someone in their early twenties. He had dark brown hair with a fringe that was longer on the right side and came down to his eyes, he was shirt-less and bore a thin red cut on the side of his chest.

"Hello again, Cameron, long time no see."

"Jason?"

--

Derek stared down at the twisted hunk of metal that was his gun. Before he could get any more shots off, the triple-8 had grabbed his gun and crushed it before doing the same to Sarah's. _I guess we get physical then_, he thought. Of course, without Cameron they were no match for the machine. Derek hated himself for thinking it; but he really missed the machine right now, especially when he crashed into the dirt with a throbbing jaw. _Why do all metals go for the teeth?_

--

"You know him?"

Cameron was staring warily at the man she called Jason. John had never seen her like this before; it was as if she were meeting some long-lost relative. He had no idea how right he was.

"Why are you here? John said he'd never send you back. He said you couldn't be trusted."

Jason smiled and pulled on his chains.

"If you let me go, I'll tell you all about it."

Cameron remained where she was. John was starting to get anxious.

"Look Cameron, we haven't got a lot of time, who is he?"

"His name is Jason Corvain. He's a Resistance fighter. At least, he was. Before he was captured by Skynet, now he belongs to neither side."

"And here I thought we were friends. C'mon mei mei, please. I've been chained up ever since I got here."

_Mei mei?_ John felt like he'd heard that somewhere before. _At school maybe, or was it Morris. Yeah, that's right. Morris referred to Cameron as my 'mei mei' once, I had no idea what he was talking about._ John decided he needed some clarification.

"What's mei mei?"

Cameron turned to him, a slight frown on her face.

"It means 'little sister' in Chinese. He's always called me by it."

"That's because it suits you perfectly."

"Wait a second. You think she's your sister?"

Jason turned his attention back to John; his eyes seemed to scan him in the same eerie manner as Cameron.

"I always expected you'd be shorter, hmm. I helped you, the future you, reprogram her. A lot of her programming and upgrades are based on my cybernetic implants, so you could say that she was made out of me. Heh, it's almost biblical."

--

The plan was simple: lure Connor to this location, trap him in the bunker, kill any immediate threats, and then eliminate the target. Simple. So why wasn't it working. Cromartie had fought Sarah Connor before; she was no match for him. Derek Reese, however, posed a particular problem. Unlike Sarah, Derek knew how to fight triple-8s in almost any situation. Though it is true that the average human cannot go toe-to-toe with a Terminator and win, there are weapons that a human can use to even the odds, such as a steel pipe.

While Sarah cradled her arm, Derek took the fight to Cromartie. His constant swings and smashes kept the triple-8 at bay, but were inflicting absolutely no damage, and Derek's fever was starting to drain his strength. Four more swings, four more hits, but the fifth fell short, caught in Cromartie's grip. Cromartie yanked the pipe towards him, Derek flew forwards straight into Cromartie's fist. Derek dropped to the floor, his face splattered with blood. _Analysing…………Consciousness has been suspended………….Target Neutralised_.

Cromartie turned his attention back to Sarah who, despite all of her ferocity, was now little more than a helpless little girl.

--

"It's about time, thank you."

Jason was rubbing his wrists, Cameron having broken his chains. He picked up his shirt, which was missing most of its buttons.

"Argh! I really liked this shirt. Never mind, more important things right?"

"Yeah, like my mom and Derek. Are you gonna tell us how to get out now?"

Jason cocked his head to a corner, but John couldn't see anything there.

"What? There's nothing there."

"That's because it's hidden. Cameron, can you see it?"

Cameron cycled through her various choices of vision, stopping at x-ray.

"There's a door, and a tunnel leading into the warehouse."

"Quite so."

Again, John couldn't see anything, but he approached the wall anyway. As he placed his hand on the concrete, John could feel a slight breeze. He looked back at Jason with a look of amazement.

"How could you-…?"

"See it?"

Jason took a step forwards and stared John right in the eye. His irises suddenly glowed a bright gold colour before reverting back to their usual brown. John raised his gun and pulled the hammer back.

"What are you? What model? Tell me."

Jason simply smirked and held up his hands in mock surrender. Cameron came around to John's side and gently placed her hand on his gun, encouraging him to lower his aim.

"Like Cameron said; I was captured by Skynet, gutted from the inside out and given a crap load of cybernetics."

"What kind? What did Skynet give you?"

"Well first there was the neural implant, that's wired into the back of my brain. Then there were various other applications all over my body, suffice to say that every inch of me is half human half machine, even down to my blood cells. My skeleton is infused with metallic compounds, increasing its durability by 200. Oh, and my eyes are entirely machine. Satisfied?"

John slowly lowered his gun and tilted his head at Cameron.

"And her? What's that all about, you said you helped me reprogram her and that some of her is based off of you."

Jason let his hands fall to his side and got to work opening the concealed door, talking as he worked.

"Errrmmm, sort of. Just a few enhancements here and there, you know. Better metal-flesh interaction, that sort of thing. She can physically feel things the same as you do, except pain of course. No one in their right mind would choose to give someone the ability to feel pain."

"What about her programming? She can feel emotions. How did you and I do that?"

The door slid open and air rushed in, several light bulbs flickered, illuminating the tunnel and a flight of stairs. Jason smiled down at Cameron affectionately.

"We didn't. Not even Skynet understands how it happened. It's all you sweetie."

Cameron look bewildered as Jason led the way down the corridor and up the stairs. There was another hatch, which Jason kicked open with relative ease, leading them into the old warehouse. John stared at Cameron, deep in thought. 'It's all you…'

--

She couldn't explain how she knew, she just did. Cromartie. Perhaps it was that familiar grip on her throat. The coldness of his eyes, at this range she could see the merciless mind behind them and, for the first time, recognised the difference between his and Cameron's. Cameron possessed human warmth, Cromartie did not. _Maybe she is different_, she mused.

"MOM!"

_Audio Analysis: 92 match…….Primary Target: John Connor………..Action: Terminate………….._

Cromartie let Sarah drop to the ground and turned around to face his target. John unloaded his gun into Cromartie's face, finally causing minor damage to one of his ocular sensors. As his HUD flashed and flickered, a fist came out of nowhere to knock him backwards. Jason circled the triple-8, twirling the steel pipe, while Cameron dragged Sarah out of the way. Jason pointed the end of the pipe at Cromartie like a finger.

"You got the drop on me the first time; nothing slows your reactions like travelling through time. But now we do this properly, let's go."

Cromartie was not susceptible to intimidation, and did not feel the inspiring effects of adrenaline. And that's why John knew that he would lose. _Because he's not human enough… kinda ironic_.

Jason delivered earth shattering strikes that drove Cromartie back and left the pipe twisted and useless. He then kicked the triple-8 into an old outhouse, the impact of which destroyed the little shed. Cromartie crawled through the dirt and slowly got to his feet, he couldn't see properly and his vision processor wasn't running at 100 capacity, making everything he saw a few seconds out of sync. Jason scanned the triple-8, locating the power source hidden deep within its chest. Jason lacked the strength to physically rip open the chest chassis, so instead opted for the CPU.

However, before he could make his move, Cameron grabbed Cromartie and threw him through one of the warehouse windows. She then kicked him down the stairs and into the hatch. John retrieved a pipe bomb from the car and handed it to Cameron, who lit the fuse and slung it into the tunnel. The explosion collapsed the tunnel, burying Cromartie beneath a tonne of concrete. Jason regarded Cameron with a look of slight annoyance.

"You know he'll get out eventually."

"That's assuming he isn't destroyed."

"We could've removed his CPU. In fact I was going to before you stepped in."

Cameron simply shrugged and walked out of the warehouse leaving Jason alone with John. John regarded Jason for a moment before speaking.

"Is this what she's like… in the future I mean?"

"No, she was very much a machine back then. It's only through living here that she's learned to develop her humanity, so to speak."

"No, I meant after the war. What's she like then?"

Jason averted his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and walked out. John followed him, wondering why he wouldn't answer the question. Cameron was helping Sarah carry Derek into the car and once he was slumped on the back seat, Sarah turned her attention to Jason.

"So are you here to protect us as well?"

"No. I have another mission, and no; I can't tell you what it is. But chances are we won't meet again so…"

Jason held out his hand and Sarah shook it.

"Thank you."

He did the same with John and whispered in his ear.

"Savour every moment. No matter what anyone else might say. Treasure her, because you'll hate yourself if you do not."

And then he understood why Jason wouldn't answer his question; it was because he couldn't. Cameron was not in the future, she would not survive past Judgment Day. This revelation left John stunned, he suddenly felt hollow inside. Jason gave Cameron a hug and said his goodbyes. John watched with tears in his eyes and swore to do as Jason told him.

--

Cameron kept glancing at John on the way home, but he was purposely ignoring her. When they got home John locked himself inside his room and refused to come out. He needed time to make sense of everything, to muddle through it all. Cameron was unique, she could feel what it means to be human, and not even Skynet 

could account for that. But there was no future for Cameron; she was going to die before the bombs fall. He was going to lose her. Suddenly the future didn't seem worth fighting for.

Cameron chose not to knock this time and just opened the door. John was sat on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands. She crouched down in front of him and gently pried his hands away from his face, revealing tears.

"What's wrong?"

She had seen the best and the worst of John. She had seen his compassion, and she had seen his cruelty. But never had she seen him cry. It caused her quite a lot of distress to see him like this.

"Please. Tell me what's wrong? John?"

John wiped away the tears and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Jason told me…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it, but Cameron understood. Future John had been so forlorn when he sent her back in time, he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye, he just watched as the sphere of light consumed her. Cameron placed her finger on his lips; she didn't need to hear it. It was highly probable, if not inevitable, that she would die protecting him. But she would gladly give her life to ensure his safety.

She leaned forward and kissed him. For a moment, John forgot about everything. He was lost within the moment as their lips pressed together, and it was in this moment that he remembered his father's message: 'The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.' _I will find a way to save you. The future is not set. I will save you._

"Promise me you won't ever leave me."

Cameron searched his eyes and found nothing but love and pain. She didn't know that his heart was breaking.

"I promise."

Her voice was soft and sincere. John pulled her onto the bed and ran his fingers through her hair as they kissed once more.

_I will save you. _


	8. Comfort

CHAPTER EIGHT: Comfort

(Contains explicit content. Mature readers only.)

Cameron was in ecstasy. Every sensor on her body was on fire. She was awash in what she could only guess was pleasure. She opened her eyes to see John smiling down at her and knew it wasn't a dream or sensory malfunction. Cameron lay naked on his bed; John was on his side, staring into her eyes as she let out a small gasp. John frowned slightly, he believed Jason when he told him that Cameron could feel everything, but was unprepared for the natural responses she exhibited upon stimulation. She'd never looked more beautiful than she did in this moment.

--

"She'll never look more beautiful than she does in this moment."

John looked up from the diagnostic unit and considered Jason's statement.

"So maybe you wanna take a picture before she gets all messy. The future isn't known for its hygiene."

Jason chuckled and covered the machine with a white sheet, or at least, as white as you could find in the future. He studied her face for a moment before covering it too.

"Nah, I'm not a voyeur. Besides, I think of her more as a baby sister than a lover. What about you?"

John finished the diagnostic and put the unit in standby to conserve power.

"I just want a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Jason snorted, he knew John too well to buy his lies. After all, lying was what Jason did better than anything else, so he knew when another was being dishonest.

"Uh-huh. And the fact that this friend just so happens to be a petite beauty is a coincidence, right?"

John gave him a cold glare, a commonly recognised warning to 'shut the hell up'.

"I have my reasons, and you know better than to question them. Anyway, who's to say she won't look even prettier in a pink dress?"

"Got any lying around? No, what I meant was that once you reactivate her; she'll be a cold blank slate. No emotion only logic. Even with the enhancements we've made, which, by the way, are somewhat baffling to me in certain regards."

Jason eyes darted to her concealed mid-section. John shook his head in frustration. Jason had been invaluable in helping him with this project, but he still failed to understand his reasons behind her rehabilitation.

"I want her to be able to feel everything, and I'm not just talking about the five senses. Her emotional range must be unrestricted. Rage, love, she should be able to feel both in equal measure."

"I get that, but might I suggest that you restrict her emotional range to begin with. I seriously doubt she'll be able handle everything all at once. She'd go insane as soon as you stick that chip in her head."

John examined the CPU with an expression of longing, almost as if it were a photo of memories past, Jason observed.

"This really matters to you, doesn't it?"

"It does. She's the only one who has what we have."

"And what's that?"

"Choice."

--

John swore he could feel the frantic beating of her non-existent heart. _Perhaps her power cell was in overdrive or something_, he wondered. She closed her eyes again and moaned, louder this time. As far as John was concerned this was purely one-sided. He wanted her to understand what it meant to truly feel love, and he believed he was doing a good job so far as her whole body shuddered. He leaned in to kiss her and was surprised by her passionate response, even more so when she shuddered again, crying out in pleasure. Cameron felt like her entire body was about to explode and was, for a brief moment, concerned that John would get hurt when she did. Her eyes shot open and glowed blue as she finally understood what John was trying to teach her.

--

"She doesn't get it, John. We might as well be talking to a brick wall. It seems mei mei isn't as understanding as we thought."

John bashed his foot against the diagnostic unit. He was frustrated beyond reprieve.

"And what do you suggest we do? We just need to be patient?"

"Don't try to lie to me. You're more afraid than I am, afraid of what's staring you in the face."

"We can get this to work, we just need time."

John looked into her face, she looked back. He was determined to see that spark in her eyes, that same spark that alerted him to that extraordinary phenomenon. But her face was blank, expressionless, and his jokes fell on deaf ears. _No reaction, nothing_.

"We don't have time, John. The triple-8 has already gone through. It's now or never. You need to decide whether or not she's the one you want to send back, fast, because the window is closing."

John nodded. Jason was right of course. He needed to send someone back to protect his 15 year-old self, and he didn't have long to decide. He turned to Cameron and activated the diagnostic unit.

"What is your mission?"

"To ensure the survival of John Connor and aid him in preventing the destruction of mankind."

Her monotone disturbed him. She was capable of so much more, but he couldn't figure out a way to coax a viable response.

"Report to the TDE chamber and wait for me there."

"Affirmative."

She was about to leave when John suddenly called her back.

"One more time: a horse walks into a bar and the barman says 'Why the long face?'."

Cameron contemplated the sentence for a moment but looked nonplussed.

"I do not understand."

John sighed. _I guess she really is just a blank slate after all_, he thought.

"Carry on as instructed."

Cameron left the room, leaving a frustrated John in her wake. Jason approached John's side and smirked.

"I thought it was funny."

--

They held each other close and slowly became one being. One mind, one desire, one need. Their bodies locked together perfectly, as if they were made for each other. This time it was John's turn to moan and Cameron was the one who sought to please. She held him close as she moved her hips rhythmically, perfectly in time with his gentle thrusts. They became lost in the moment as they caressed each other's body; John's hand ran through her hair and down her cheek, while she did the same. What he felt for her was far beyond simple love, he would do anything for her. He would even die for her. At this moment, nothing else mattered. Not his mom, not Derek, not even Skynet and the billions of lives it would destroy. Nothing but Cameron. They both gave one last gasp before all breath was stolen from them. Cameron's eyes shone like stars, that spark John had seen many times before had become a radiant sun, burning her love into his very soul.

--

She stood on the platform, waiting patiently as the Time Displacement device prepared to blast her back to 1999. John stood there with his hand on his mouth, deep in thought and regret. _What if she never discovers her potential? What if she will always be a machine? I guess I'll know soon enough, once the timeline adjusts itself_. He turned to Jason, who was watching Cameron with that same expression of regret. He'd become very attached to Cameron, despite her lack of progress. John knew that, deep down; Jason believed in her potential and was silently praying that she would one day unlock it.

"TDE is prepped and ready, sir."

John nodded and took a step towards the platform.

"Cameron, I just want you to know that I-……. never mind. Just take of yourself okay, as well as me of course."

Cameron smiled. A small smile at first but it quickly became a full-toothed grin, followed by laughter. The blue energy of the TDE swirled around her as the sphere took shape.

"Why the long face?"

A flash of white light, and she was gone. Her last words left John speechless. He turned to Jason, who was equally shocked, before bursting into a fit of laughter that brought tears of joy to his eyes. Her words forever etched on his soul.

--

They lay there, curled together, perfectly comfortable. Cameron nestled her head on his chest and draped her arm around his waist, perfectly content. John gave her one last kiss before drifting peacefully to sleep. Cameron closed her eyes too, powering down to standby mode.

--

They looked the perfect picture of tranquillity. Were she human, he would've been happy for John. But she wasn't. She was a machine. _No matter how you dress her up, that's all she'll ever be, a soulless manipulator_.

And Derek would be damned before he would let his nephew devote himself to that 'metal bitch'.


	9. Competitors

CHAPTER NINE: Competitors

_Rebooting……….010000011111000……….System Start Up……..Commencing Diagnostic………..Damage Report: servos in left leg no longer functioning…………..right arm has suffered significant damage………..CPU intact……….._

Cromartie slowly dug his way out of the rubble and crawled out into the open. His right arm was mangled, barely able to twitch a few fingers. His left leg was inoperative, its servos having fused. Yet he was still more or less intact, and his mission was no less incomplete. But he was also lacking sufficient biological covering to effectively blend in. He would need a little help…

--

"I don't care corporal; just get those doors open, now."

"Yes sir."

The soldier inserted the key and gave it a twist. Alarms sounded as the blast doors opened, revealing an old storage bunker.

"Check it out corporal."

"Yes sir."

The soldier entered the bunker and disappeared. Moments later, he returned and signalled the all-clear. The sergeant led the rest of the team inside and ordered them to fan out and investigate. A few minutes later, one of the soldiers called out for the rest of the team. They gathered around a man in military fatigues, he sat on a barrel, staring sightlessly at the floor. The sergeant gave him a sharp poke but received no response. He looked questioningly at the others.

"Corporal, check his pulse."

"Yes sir."

The soldier placed his fingers on the man's throat but felt nothing. Suddenly, the man twitched. The soldiers raised their guns as the man stood up and scanned them with glowing red eyes.

--

John awoke with a start and sat up, breathing heavily. He'd been dreaming about a man with red eyes, a Terminator. Except the man's face was all too familiar, the face of his uncle. John didn't know what to make of it. _Just a nightmare_, he told himself, _don't go reading too much into it_. A slender hand slid across his chest, Cameron sat up and rested her chin on his shoulder, a look of concern on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Just a bad dream, it's nothing. Not worth you doing one of your little scans."

Cameron smiled. She hadn't actually given it any thought. She knew John so well that she didn't need to scan him to know what he was thinking. But she did so anyway. _His pulse is high and his body is perspiring more than usual. He's troubled._ She stroked his hair and placed a kiss on his cheek to reassure him. John smiled; all thoughts of the dream were washed away by her touch.

"JOHN. Time to get up or you'll be late for school. Same goes for you Tin-Miss. Unplug yourself and get moving."

John sighed. _Mom sure knows how to break the mood_. Cameron gave him a sly smile before sliding out of bed and gathering her clothes. John got dressed and unlocked his door, peering out to check that the coast was 

clear. The corridor was empty so John let Cameron tip-toe back to her room to get changed into fresh clothes. He staggered into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. Derek came in and gave John a quick glance before grabbing a banana and leaving out the front door. John shrugged to himself. _What was that all about? _Sarah suddenly appeared with a look of slight annoyance on her face.

"What's up?"

"Cameron just asked me if she can have some money for a Prom dress."

John choked on his cereal, Sarah poured him a glass of water, for which he was grateful.

"Argh. Hmm. Er, what did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it."

"Well, think fast cos' Prom is tomorrow night."

Sarah tucked her hands in her trouser pockets and glared down at John, who put on his most innocent-looking face.

"What?"

"She seems to think she's going with you."

"What? No. She's going with Morris."

"Morris?"

"He's a friend of mine in auto class."

Though he'd never say it, with everything that's been going on between him and Cameron, he'd like nothing more than to be able to dance with her at the Prom. But because they were "technically" brother and sister, that was impossible. _If we ever have to change our names again, I'm sure as hell going to make sure that we are not siblings, no matter what mom might say._

"Well, you'd better make sure she understands then."

"I'll talk to her once I'm done here."

Sarah leaned against the island in the middle of the kitchen and slowly smiled at her son.

"So, who are you taking?"

"No I- I'm not going. Not really my thing, you know."

"And yet Cameron is."

John stood up and took his empty bowl over to the sink and began washing it, keeping his back to her.

"Yeah well, Morris asked her so… Besides, he's a good guy, just not very popular."

Sarah considered for a moment. She confessed to wanting to see her son in a tux, to see him doing something normal and grown up.

"Okay then. I'll get Cameron a dress…"

"Thank you."

"So long as you find yourself a pretty date and go as well."

"Mom, no. I told you…"

"That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

John sighed. He knew Cameron wanted to go and wasn't willing to let Morris down. So he agreed.

--

"Now that's what I call a rifle. You won't find any finer this side of Los Angeles."

Derek examined the rifle carefully, weighing it in his hands and peering down the scope.

"What's its range?"

"Standard, but the scope has a new reticule that allows for greater accuracy."

Derek considered for a moment then nodded.

"I'll take it."

--

1:45 pm, and John still hadn't found a girl who didn't already have a date for the Prom. He sat in the outdoors lunch area with a sullen Cameron. She hadn't taken too well to John's rejection, despite seeing the logic behind it. John promised to make it up to her later, and she held him to it. Morris came over with headphones in his ears, but immediately pulled them out once he'd sat down.

"Whoa. One of those days again, huh? What's up?"

"Cameron has a headache. I can't seem to find a date for the Prom. So you could say we both have headaches."

Morris looked a little smug then. He considered himself to be the luckiest guy in school. To be going to the Prom with such a hot girl was a dream come true for him. But Morris was not without sympathy for John's plight.

"Dude, that's rough. Tell you what; I'll help you woo a few of the Latina chicks."

"No thanks. I'll figure it out myself. Still got tomorrow to find one, can't be that hard."

"Yeah, but, slim pickings man, slim pickings."

--

_Searching Database for Possible Matches………………_

_Match Found: T-888 (Model 816)_

_Current Objective: Stockpile coltan supply at designated location._

_Activating Emergency Broadcast Signal…………………."Requesting Immediate Aid"…………."Primary Target: John Connor located"…………."Respond"……………_

--

"_Received and understood"………………"Will meet you at sector 21#963"…………….._

--

Derek carefully poured the powder from each rifle round into a small jar and replaced it with thermite from the garage. Once every bullet was ready, Derek collected the thermite rounds and hid them along with the rifle in a hedge behind the garage. He looked down at the Prom flyer in his hand and decided that was when he would strike, for John's own good. He crushed the flyer in his hand and returned to the house.

--

John wasn't paying attention. So it was no surprise to Cameron when he collided with a blonde girl, making her drop her books.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you I-…"

"It's okay, I'm new here. My old school was a lot less crowded, so I'm not used to bouncing off of people."

"You get used to it. I'm sort of new here too. Um, this is my sister, by the way."

Cameron regarded the girl with little interest. _Well, if John has to choose someone, it might as well be her._

"Hi, my name is Riley."

"Cameron. He's John, by the way."

John nervously scratched the back of his head. _Here he goes, same old approach_, Cameron thought. She decided to simplify matters for him.

"John wants to ask you to the Prom, but he's going to make a mess of it. So to spare you his stuttering: will you go to the Prom with him?"

Riley looked taken aback, but did not repulse him. John had turned red and couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.

"Sure. Why not? I'll see you tomorrow. Bye John."

Riley gathered her books and walked off, smiling at him as she passed. John was speechless; he turned to Cameron with a look of utter amazement.

"Only you could do me a favour and make me look like a total idiot at the same time."

"You're welcome. Just don't get any funny ideas about tomorrow night."

--

This wasn't the first time Cromartie had to travel incognito, and were he to care; he would find it somewhat annoying. He was programmed for infiltration, not promotion. Regardless, he had reached his destination with only one encounter with the authorities. Carter was already there when he arrived. Unlike Cromartie, Carter's flesh was intact, minus a few dozen bullet wounds on his chest, but they could be concealed. Carter acknowledged Cromartie's presence with a curt nod, something he had picked up from the recently deceased soldiers.

"You are damaged."

Terminators are known for stating the obvious, but Cromartie didn't care.

"Yes. I am incapable of maintaining the illusion of being human."

"So you need me to fix you?"

"I am still operational. My mission is to terminate John Connor. My repairs are not necessary, unless you are willing to trade your biological covering."

"Our endoskeletal structures do not match. It would be inadvisable."

"Then I need you to find him. Start with the local schools. I believe I was duped at Campo de Cahuenga High School, start there."

"I do not know what he looks like. You will need to draw his image."

Cromartie sat down, an odd gesture, if it could be called that. If Carter didn't know better he'd think that this model was being resigned.

"I cannot. My right arm is damaged and my power cell is waning. I need to enter standby mode. Do you recognise the 715 model?"

"Yes, I encountered one before. It prevented me from accomplishing my mission. I failed."

To the outside observer, Carter seemed almost disappointed by his admission.

"Connor has one protecting him. Find her and you will find Connor."

"Affirmative."

Carter turned on his heel and marched out of the rustic house, determined not to fail this time.

--

"Are you jealous? About Riley?"

"No more than you are about Morris."

John and Cameron lay together on his bed. John was gently stroking her hair, thinking about tomorrow. Sarah had gone out and bought John a tuxedo and a beautiful blue dress for Cameron, as per their agreement. John felt his chest implode when he saw her trying it on; he wanted so badly to be the one on her arm at the Prom. John's thoughts drifted back to his date, Riley. _She's nice, I suppose. But she's not Cameron_. He was afraid that she would expect them to be a couple after the Prom, and that made John very uncomfortable. It was bad enough having to hide his relationship from Sarah and Derek, but having to string along an innocent girl was cruel and unfair. _I'll have to make myself boring_, he thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

"My date, I was thinking about marrying her. You know, start a family, have some kids, the whole nine yards. What d'you think?"

"I think she's just made it onto my list of threats to John Connor. She's right up there with Cromartie."

John chuckled. Tomorrow was going to be difficult, but they'll find a way through it. _Besides_, he told himself, _at least I'll still be able to see her dance_. John slowly drifted to sleep, dreaming about Cameron in that dress.

Neither he nor Cameron noticed the flash from outside the window.

--

Carter gave the occasional glance as students passed him. To them he was just another janitor, silently cleaning their mess. The bell rang and dozens of students flooded the corridor. One in particular caught his attention. _Identity Confirmed: Model 715……..Action: Observe. _She was talking to a Hispanic male with black hair._ All evidence suggests he is attempting to court her. 715 remains uncharacteristically unresponsive._

"No. John said we'd all go together. You, me, John, and Riley."

"John managed to get a date then, cool. Can't wait 'til tonight, see ya."

"Bye."

_715 appears strangely discomforted, interesting. Tracking the 715 would be inefficient; it would know I was following. She appears to be planning to attend a social gathering tonight. Action: Gather intelligence on this event and report to Model 888._

--

"A Prom, it does not match anything in my records."

Cromartie was attempting to fix his arm, with little success. Carter stood there with his arms behind his back, as if he were reporting to a commanding officer.

"Nor mine. But Model 715 is planning to attend alongside John Connor. If we are to strike, it will have to be tonight."

"You are correct… You will pose as a waiter; such a gathering will no doubt make use of them. Model 715 will be close by, look for someone in his mid teens."

Carter felt it strange that he had to point this out, but:

"Most, if not all, who attend will be in their mid teens."

"True. Look out for this voice pattern: My name is John Connor, the future leader of Mankind."

Cromartie spoke the last part using a recording of John's vocal patterns. Carter stored it in his audio memory.

"And what about you? Where will you be?"

Cromartie stood up and pulled a hood over his mangled face.

"I'll be close."

--

"So, you gonna kiss her?"

"Who?"

"Your date. Isn't that what all the cool kids do nowadays?"

Derek was helping John with his bow tie. Sarah was helping Cameron into her dress, not that she needed help, but John believed that his mom had secretly developed a fondness for Cameron.

"I don't know."

"What? You got someone else you'd rather be kissing?"

Derek's eyes had gone cold. John felt unnerved, and almost thought he saw a small glint of red within his uncle's eyes.

"No, I just… I guess I'm not looking to form attachments right now."

"It wouldn't have something to do with a certain cyborg, would it?"

John froze; Derek finished adjusting his bow tie and took a step back.

"Well now, your mother's gonna get all mushy when she sees how much her little boy has grown up."

John was still wary. Derek had touched upon a dangerous subject, and that look in his eyes told John that he knew more than he was letting on.

"Derek I-…"

"Hey, you're a big boy, old enough to make his own decisions. But know this…"

Derek placed his hands on John's shoulders, not a threatening gesture, but no less terrifying.

"…everything that happens from here on out, all of it is for your own good. One day you'll thank me."

John was hyperventilating. _He knows. Oh God, he knows._

"Are you boys finished yet?"

"Yeah, we'll be right there."

Derek walked out of the room, stopping in the corridor.

"Aren't you coming? Don't wanna miss your big day."

--

John had been very distant when he left his bedroom. He didn't even flinch when Sarah made a motherly fuss over him. He just kept staring at Derek. What troubled Cameron the most was that he paid absolutely no attention to her, not that she was particularly vain, but it was unusual given the circumstances.

The limo arrived to pick them up and Sarah gave them both a kiss goodbye. Cameron couldn't help but be touched by this. As John got into the limo, he looked back at Derek, who gave him a small salute. John turned pale and closed the door. Cameron immediately grasped his hand and ran a quick scan as the limo pulled away.

"You're shaking. What's wrong? You're in shock. John?"

John took a steadying gulp before speaking in a whisper.

"He knows. Derek knows about us, and I think… I think he's planning something. Cam, you have to be careful."

Cameron looked very concerned, but not about Derek. She could handle Derek. But John was visibly distraught. She turned her attention to the driver.

"Excuse me; could you please give us some privacy?"

"Sure."

The driver pushed a button and a blind came down the glass separating him from them, they were totally alone. Cameron kissed John passionately, holding him close to her. After a few minutes, John finally calmed down and some of the colour returned to his face.

"He's crazy. I could see it in his eyes. There's something… broken inside."

Cameron stroked his face soothingly.

"Derek lost his brother to the machines. Saw many of his friends die in battle. He was psychologically tortured and then forced to co-exist with the person responsible. He's been through a lot. He is broken."

John shook his head. He couldn't believe that his uncle was capable of making him feel like this.

"Mom told me that he murdered Andy Goode, and I saw first hand his execution of Sarkissian. But I just figured he was tough, you know. Hardened by war. I never considered that he might be crazy."

"Not crazy, just very, very broken. Everything will be fine. Tell you what, you and I will dance together tonight. People won't think anything of it; they'll be too busy wooing their partners."

John smiled.

"You sure?"

"It'll be our little secret."

They embraced once more before being joined by Morris and Riley.

--

_Behavioural Note: adolescents like to be treated as superior to adults. This will help with future assignments._ Carter played the role of servitude well. He didn't try to talk to the students and he was always responsive when asked to fetch a drink. But at the moment he just stood there, patiently scanning the crowd.

--

"Bro, I gotta say; your sister is smoking tonight. That dress really brings out the colour in her eyes."

"I didn't know you were a poet."

"Oh, I'm full of surprises."

John and Morris were in the men's restroom while Cameron and Riley were in their equivalent. The evening had an intoxicating effect on John, almost making him forget about Derek. Cameron had done everything in her power to keep the mood as light as possible. She'd even gotten to know Riley quite well and was no doubt swapping girlie secrets with her right now. Morris washed his hands and stuck them under the drier.

"You know, I wanna thank you, John. You've been a good friend."

John was taken aback.

"No problem."

"No, really, it means a lot. I've never been very popular. I always got hassled by the other guys at school. But you gave me a chance, thank you."

John gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"C'mon, Cameron promised me a dance, so you'd better get in there before me."

Morris winked, apparently unperturbed by John's admission.

--

Sarah was alone in the house; Derek had gone to run an errand of some kind. She stopped by John's room and took in the emptiness of it. Her boy had grown up so much these past weeks and he seemed so much happier ever since Cameron had been fixed. _Perhaps she is good for him after all_, she mused. Something caught her eye, an item of clothing that could not possibly belong to John. She picked up what she assumed to be Cameron's underwear and wondered how it got there as she returned it to the girl's room. _Maybe John took it,_ she wondered as she strode to her room. _No, John isn't a pervert or a creep. He is very dignified for a 16 year-old. Maybe it got mixed in with his clothes by accident, yes that must be it._

Sarah entered her room and laid on her bed, resting her head on her pillow, which had something on it. A photograph fell onto her shoulder, she picked it up and studied the back, which had a message written on it: 'Please forgive what I have to do. But know that it is necessary, for John's own good.' Sarah flipped the photograph over and nearly dropped it in shock when she saw what was on it.

It was taken from outside John's window at night and it showed him in bed… with Cameron. Sarah would have dismissed it as innocent affection had they been wearing clothes, but Cameron was clearly naked and John's bare chest was visible above the quilt. _They slept together!_ Sarah's mind was numb. Her son, the boy destined to lead mankind in a war against the machines, was sleeping with one of them.

Sarah felt like she no longer knew her own son. She didn't have the first clue how to deal with this revelation, and then it hit her: Derek. _He's going to destroy Cameron, and he's going to do it at the Prom._ Part of her felt like letting him get on with it, but the other part told her that John would die before letting Derek harm Cameron. And it was that part that convinced her to get her jacket and jump in the car, speeding through every red light.

--

Cromartie waited patiently in the basement of the building. It was possible that Carter would fail, and if he did, Cromartie needed to be nearby to finish the job. Infiltrators always have a contingency plan, if all else fails.

--

Derek positioned himself on a rooftop with a perfect view of the dance floor. The Prom was being held on a plateau, open to the night air… and tactical sniper rifles. Derek began loading the rifle with the thermite rounds as the kids and their dance partners took to the dance floor, John and Cameron amongst them. Derek perched the rifle on the roof's edge and took aim.

--

Sarah could see the building at the end of the street. She put her foot down, pushing 60mph, desperate to get there in time. When she pulled up at the entrance, Sarah happened to glance to her upper left peripheral, catching a small glint from what was unmistakeably a sniper scope. She raced to the other side of the street and burst into the building, hurtling up the stairs.

--

John forgot all about his deranged uncle. He was dancing with Cameron, which, as she'd guessed, did not turn any heads. Morris and Riley were over by the buffet, helping themselves to drinks. John could not help but feel at peace with the world, and had to use every ounce of will he possessed to keep himself from kissing Cameron right then and there.

--

Derek flicked the safety off and gently squeezed the trigger.

--

A small pop, like a bottle being uncorked, followed by something crimson and wet, suddenly splattered Cameron's dress. She stared wide-eyed at John, who had frozen, his pupils dilated in fear.

"John?"

_To be continued… _


	10. Commitment

CHAPTER TEN: Commitment

"John?"

John just stared at the blood that was dripping down Cameron's dress and slowly turned around to see Morris standing to the right of him, holding a drink. Everyone had gone silent, even the music had stopped, or maybe John had gone deaf. He couldn't tell. The only one of his senses that still worked was his sight, and he wished that would go as well. The wound was small and had cauterized almost instantly, a result of the thermite. But it made it no less horrifying. Morris continued to hold the drink out for John to take, his eyes as wide as saucers. Then he slumped forward into John's arms and suddenly the sound was turned back on and everybody was screaming. John lowered him to the floor as chaos reigned above.

--

Derek was stunned. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. He had a perfect shot of Cameron's chest, but just as he let loose the bullet a boy stepped in his site. The bullet had penetrated his shoulder, mere inches away from his neck. _I killed him_.

"NO!"

Derek couldn't be sure if it was him who said it or somebody else, but all he knew next was a fist cracking him in the face. Sarah followed up with a sharp kick to the face that sent Derek staggering backwards; she then took the opportunity to grab the rifle and unload it, but was struck from behind by Derek, a brick in hand. He then took up the rifle and took aim, determined to finish what he'd started.

--

Carter used Cameron's exclamation as an indicator that he'd found his target. He took out a pistol he kept concealed in his trousers, several students noticed the weapon and the screaming increased ten fold, they all bolted for the exits, frantically trying to escape. Carter stopped short of John, who was tending to the wounded boy, and aimed his weapon, poised to shoot. Suddenly, his vision was blotted by a table and his gun went flying across the dance floor. Cameron pressed the attack, furiously driving the triple-8 away from her charge. Several bullets came from no where; riddling the chair Cameron had ducked behind while two struck Carter in the mid-section. _This is going to complicate matters_, Carter thought, as he analysed the burning damage of the bullets.

--

Cromartie could hear the commotion above him. Carter must have done his job then. _But it was odd, if he'd killed Connor, then why would he be firing multiple shots like that_. He didn't have that many bullets in his gun, just the standard nine, and Cromartie counted at least thirteen shots. _Come to think of it, they sounded like high calibre rounds, not 9mms_. Cromartie decided his immediate presence was necessary and began his slow ascent to the roof.

--

Cameron threw Carter into the buffet, scattering food and cutlery everywhere. She picked up a particularly vicious-looking steak knife and jabbed it into Carter's head, determined to get at his CPU port. As she cut a jagged circle around the triple-8's head, another spay of bullets ricocheted around her, one of them striking her cutting arm, rendering it useless. Carter used this to his advantage and kicked her off of him. He then grabbed her by the hair and dunked her head into the punch bowl. Carter reached out and ripped an electrical wire from the wall and put it in the bowl, electrocuting Cameron, rendering her off-line. With her neutralized, Carter strode towards John, armed with the steak knife.

--

Derek had the perfect shot, he'd riddle her with bullets, take out her power cell. But as he began applying pressure to the trigger a blonde girl suddenly stepped in his sight, forcing him to remove his finger. _Not again. Move girl, give me a clean shot._ But the girl grabbed Cameron and dragged her behind some cover. Derek let out a cry of frustration. He decided to turn his attention to the triple-8, but before he could blast a hole through its skull, Sarah jumped Derek from behind and dragged him to the floor.

--

Cameron was down, and that sniper had ceased his salvo. That left John alone with Carter, who advanced on him with a nasty-looking knife. John wasn't going to wait for the inevitable; every inch of him was burning with rage. He threw himself across the dance floor and grabbed the triple-8's gun. He was going to die fighting.

--

Sarah punched every inch of Derek she could find, but he was tough. Derek grabbed Sarah by the throat and threw her off of him, followed by a kick to the face, which he hoped would keep her down. But she was determined to stop him, and refused to go down so easily. The two exchanged blows, all thoughts of friendship cast aside.

--

John unloaded the weapon into the Terminator, but he might as well have been firing spit balls. He dropped the gun and looked around for something else he could use as a weapon. On the table next to him lay several bottles of Champaign, he grabbed a few and hurled them at the triple-8, dousing it in alcohol. John picked up a lighter from the floor and flicked it on, the small flame causing Carter to pause. John flicked the lighter at the triple-8, setting it ablaze. Carter was unimpressed, however, and delivered a crushing punch that sent John flying across the plateau, landing in a heap near the entrance.

--

Riley frantically tried to resuscitate Cameron, who showed no sign of life. Suddenly, as Riley began performing CPR, Cameron rebooted, and was very confused as to why another girl was kissing her. Cameron quickly realised what Riley was trying to do, and gave a convincing revival. She then got to her feet and analysed her surroundings, seeing John slumped on the floor and a burning Carter approaching him. Despite Riley's protests, Cameron grabbed Carter from behind, determined not to let him touch John.

--

Derek delivered one final kick, just to be sure, then returned to his position and grabbed the rifle. He could see her; she was tackling the triple-8 from behind. _Perfect_, he thought, _I can get both in one go_. But as he squeezed the trigger, Sarah struck him from behind with the same brick he'd used on her. Derek fell backwards, his shots going awry. But he was down, and not likely to get up any time soon. Sarah let out a sigh of relief and then took up the rifle.

--

Cameron counted three shots. Three burning holes in her body. One penetrated her left leg, another struck her left hip, and the other struck her left shoulder. The last one passed right through her and obliterated Carter's power cell, effectively killing him. She let the triple-8 drop to the floor and collapsed to her knees, she needed a minute. John stirred and opened his eyes, he saw Cameron sitting awkwardly a foot or so away. She seemed to be taking slow, deep breaths. He noticed the three glowing wounds and gave out a strangled cry. He forced his aching body to crawl over to Cameron and take her hand. She smiled slightly and eyed her dress with a mingled look of regret and relief.

"I look a total mess, don't I?"

John smiled a little and squeezed her hand.

"You're still beautiful. Even with your hair dripping with punch."

Cameron looked ready to laugh when the double doors behind John suddenly flew off their hinges, and a damaged Terminator limped forwards, a gun in his mangled hand.

_Primary Target: John Connor_

_Action: Terminate_

Before Cromartie could pull the trigger, however, a single well-placed thermite round struck his temple, destroying his chip. Cromartie froze and, after what seemed like an eternity, fell forward and crashed to the floor. Cameron slowly relinquished her grip on John's shoulder once she realised the danger had passed. John looked at her for a moment, as if considering something, then he remembered Morris and struggled to his feet.

"Morris!"

He was still, a small sliver of blood dripped from his mouth. John didn't need Cameron to conduct a scan to tell him Morris was dead. He dropped to his knees, not knowing what to do with himself. Morris was his friend, and he'd gotten him killed. It was entirely his fault, and nothing Cameron or Riley told him would make it any less so. He cried out in frustration and rage at the injustice of it all, and not even Cameron's soothing words were enough to stop the tears from leaving his eyes.

--

It was raining. Everyone was dressed in black. The coffin was being lowered into the grave.

Cameron was not accustomed to such proceedings. In the future, when someone died he was just covered with a blanket and taken to one of the rooms used for the storage of the recently deceased. This was entirely different, and infinitely more complex. There were speeches from every member of the family, from close friends like John. In the middle of his speech, John locked his eyes with hers, desperately trying to draw on her strength. Cameron was upset by Morris' death, but kept a brave face for John's sake. He needed someone to be strong for him, and with Sarah elsewhere, it had to be Cameron.

The funeral reached its end and Cameron, along with everyone else, silently placed a white rose on Morris' coffin, whispering a final goodbye.

--

Sarah made a final adjustment to the chains, making sure that they were securely screwed into the wall. Once satisfied, she put the power-tool away and gathered several screwdrivers. She then picked up a tray with a sandwich and glass of water on it. She slid it over the chalk line and took a step back as Derek reached out to take the water. He was chained to the shed wall, unable to move more than a few inches forward. Sarah had entertained many ideas about how she should deal with him, but ended up choosing the lesser option of chaining him up away from the house.

"So, how long are you gonna keep me like this?"

"For as long as it takes for you to get your sanity back."

Derek put the empty glass down and tore into the sandwich.

"I'm as sane as you are. More so, even. At least I'm not letting my son sleep with a machine."

"You killed a boy. 16 years-old. You shot him dead, and now John blames himself. I don't want this to ruin what's left of his life before Judgment Day, and if Cameron can help in that regard…"

Sarah considered her feelings for a moment. Did she hate Cameron? No. Did she think her relationship with John was wrong? Yes. In the end it boiled down to just one question: Did she trust her son? Yes, and that was all that mattered.

"…then more power to her."

Derek scoffed at her statement. He knew he deserved this, to be chained up like an animal. He had cried for that boy, prayed for forgiveness when alone. But he remained true to his conviction.

"The machine HAS TO GO."

"No, she stays, and that's the last we speak about this. I'll bring you some blankets later."

Sarah turned to go, but Derek needed to know something.

"Sarah. What was his name? The boy I killed. What was his name?"

"His name was Morris. Remember it."

He would.

--

John was silent on the way home. He had taken Morris' death very hard. Worst of all, he blamed himself. Cameron found this illogical, as it was Derek who fired the bullet that killed his friend. But she also knew how John reached such a conclusion, and it caused her utter misery to think he was in so much pain.

Sarah was waiting for them when they entered the house. She immediately gave John a hug and asked if he was alright, to which he said 'yes'. _A stupid answer to a stupid question_, Cameron thought. _Of course he's not alright, just look at him_. But Cameron realised the true meaning behind the question. Sarah wasn't asking if he was alright, she was telling him how much she cared. John pried himself from his mother and slouched to his bedroom. Cameron decided he needed a moment, so she didn't follow.

Sarah gave Cameron a calculating look, as if she were considering something. Cameron simply stared at her, waiting.

"How was he?"

It wasn't the question Cameron had expected, but she answered readily.

"He didn't cry. I thought that was strange. But his voice cracked mid-way through his speech."

Sarah nodded slowly, her eyes glassed with tears.

"John handles grief very well, and as for crying, well. Men don't cry."

"John has cried before."

"When?"

"A couple of nights ago, before we…"

Cameron trailed off; she was too close to revealing their relationship. Though she suspected that Sarah knew any way, she wasn't going to confirm it. Sarah glared at Cameron and took a step towards her.

"I know."

_Crap_.

"Derek took a picture of you two together, he left it for me to find. That's how I knew what he was going to do."

"What did you do with it?"

"I burned it."

Cameron feared what was coming next. Sarah was going to tell her to stay away from her son. That if she so much as looks at him again, she'll turn her into scrap.

"Is that what you're going to do to me? Burn me away?"

Sarah eyes softened, she looked at her feet and nodded silently to herself. Cameron was tense, _what should I do? _Sarah looked up again and ran her hand through her hair. Cameron could tell she was wrestling with a decision.

"You're different. I know that now. But you're still a machine. A Terminator built to kill. By rights I should destroy you where you stand, but John needs you. And as much as I might disagree with his choice…"

Cameron watched her apprehensively, that emphasis on the word choice had shaken her a bit.

"…he is my son. I trust him. So I'm trusting you too. Don't you ever take that for granted, cos' your living on borrowed time here. Do you understand?"

"I do. Thank you for explaining."

Sarah then opened a cupboard and took out a couple of old blankets. _For Derek I assume_, thought Cameron.

--

Once Sarah was outside tending to the psychopath, Cameron entered John's room to find him kicking the side of his bed. _All evidence points towards an uncontrollable fit of rage… proceed with caution_.

"John?"

John stopped kicking the bed, but his breathing was still heavy. He turned around to face her, his face set with anger and frustration. He needed to vent, Cameron knew this, so she was prepared for anything hurtful he might say.

"I was thinking about changing my name. Maybe then another John will take up the glorified mantle of 'Saviour of Mankind'."

"No other John could do what you did?"

John was incredulous.

"What I did! What did I do, Cameron? I'll tell you what I did, I got a guy killed, that's what your glorious Messiah did."

Cameron was referring to what he'd do in the future, but her use of the past tense had the opposite effect to what she intended.

"That wasn't your fault. It was Derek who shot Morris."

"Because of ME, and my being with you. I did this, all of it. If I'd just kept to myself you and I would never have… we'd never… none of this would've happened."

That hurt. Cameron knew he had too much hate in him to just keep it to himself. Being a generous person, John decided to share it with her.

"So everything we've been through. You and me, all the things we've done… you'd just throw it all away?"

Cameron dreaded John's response. _Would he end it? Quite possibly, at least Sarah and Derek would be happy_, she thought. John clenched his fists and paced back and forth for a few excruciating seconds. Finally he stopped and looked her in the eyes.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. Who am I Cameron?"

"You're John Connor. You're the man who will save the human race."

"And how am I going to do that? How can I save three billion lives when I can't save just one?"

Cameron was losing control. She was on the verge of bursting into tears, and when she answered his question she finally let go.

"You saved me."

John froze, the look of pain on his face softened slightly as tears ran down her face.

"I was lost. Angry and confused. But you found me, and you saved me. You showed me what it means to be human. You showed me what it means to love."

John's hate and rage evaporated in an instant. He embraced Cameron and held her as she cried onto his shoulder, just as she did the day he reached her. The day he saved her. It was in this moment that John realised the truth. He brought her face to his and kissed her, and she kissed him.

"I love you, Cam."

"I love you too, John."

The truth: that if a machine could achieve redemption, then maybe one day, so could he.

THE END


End file.
